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THE  FARMER 
AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

MIW  YORK  •    BOSTON  •   CHICAGO  •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limitkd 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


THE  FARMER 
AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


BY 

KENYON  L.  BUTTERFIELD 

President  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1920 

AU  rights  reserved 


^0^1^ 


Copyright  1919 
Bt  the   MACMILLAIsr  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published,  February,  1919 


5  5'^-J 


2Io  the  "Old  Guard"  of  the  Michigan  State  Grange; 
to  those  still  living  and  in  memory  of  those  who  have 
passed  beyond : 

Vllo  Jonathan  J.  Woodman,  Cyrus  G.  Luce,  Thomas 
Mars,  George  B.  Horton,  Mary  A.  Mayo,  and  others  of 
the  leaders  of  a  quarter  century  ago: 

I  sat  at  their  feet  as  a  young  man  fresh  from  col- 
lege; under  them  I  took  my  most  valuable  graduate 
course ;  from  them  I  learned  the  character  of  the 
American  Farmer  of  the  best  type,  his  problems,  his 
aspirations,  his  faith;  from  their  plans  and  labor  for 
the  upbuilding  of  agriculture  and  farm  life  I  gained 
the  desire  to  see  the  rural  problem  as  a  whole  and  to 
discover  the  fundamentals  of  its  solution: 

V^O  them  and  their  many  loyal  and  earnest  contem- 
poraries I  dedicate  this  effort  to  express  my  convictions 
concerning  the  ultimate  welfare  of  the  American  Farmer. 

The  Author. 


"  How  shall  he  become  wise  that  holdeth  the  plow,  that 
glorieth  in  the  shaft  of  the  goad,  that  driveth  oxen,  and  is  occu- 
pied in  their  labors,  and  whose  discourse  is  of  the  stock  of  bulls  ? 
He  will  set  his  heart  upon  turning  his  furrows;  and  his  wake- 
fulness is  to  give  his  heifers  their  fodder.  So  is  every  artificer 
and  workmaster  .  .  .  the  smith  sitting  by  the  anvil  .  .  .  the 
potter  sitting  at  his  work. 

"  All  these  put  their  trust  in  their  hands;  and  each  becometh 
wise  in  his  own  work.  Without  these  shall  not  a  city  be  inhab- 
ited, and  men  shall  not  sojourn  nor  walk  up  and  down  therein. 
But  they  shall  not  be  sought  for  in  the  council  of  the  people, 
and  in  the  assembly  they  shall  not  mount  high ;  they  shall  not 
sit  on  the  seat  of  the  judge,  and  they  shall  not  understand  the 
covenant  of  judgment;  neither  shall  they  declare  instruction  and 
judgment,  and  where  parables  are  they  shall  not  be  found.  But 
they  will  maintain  the  fabric  of  the  world ;  and  in  the  handy- 
work  of  their  craft  is  their  prayer. 

"  Not  so  he  that  hath  applied  his  soul,  and  meditateth  in  the 
law  of  the  Most  High.  He  will  seek  out  the  wisdom  of  all 
the  ancients,  and  will  be  occupied  in  prophecies.  He  will  keep 
the  discourse  of  the  men  of  renown,  and  will  enter  in  amidst  the 
subtilties  of  parables.  He  will  seek  out  the  hidden  meaning  of 
proverbs,  and  be  conversant  in  the  dark  sayings  of  parables. 
He  will  serve  among  great  men,  and  appear  before  him  that 
ruleth." 

—  Ecclesiasticus. 

"  Our  civilization  rests  at  bottom  on  the  wholesomeness,  the 
attractiveness,  and  the  completeness,  as  well  as  the  prosperity, 
of  life  in  the  country." 

—  Theodore  Roosevelt,  igog. 

"  Every  sign  of  these  terrible  days  of  war  and  revolutionary 
change,  when  economic  and  social  forces  are  being  released  upon 


the  world  whose  effect  no  poHtical  seer  dare  venture  to  conjec- 
ture, bids  us  search  our  hearts  through  and  through  and  make 
them  ready  for  the  birth  of  a  new  day  —  a  day,  we  hope  and 
beh'eve,  of  greater  opportunity  and  greater  prosperity  for  the 
average  mass  of  struggh'ng  men  and  women,  and  of  greater 
safety  and  opportunity  for  children. 

"  Men  everywhere  are  searching  democratic  principles  to  their 
hearts  in  order  to  determine  their  soundness,  their  sincerity,  their 
adaptability  to  the  real  needs  of  their  life,  and  every  man  with 
any  vision  must  see  that  the  real  test  of  justice  and  right  action 
is  presently  to  come  as  it  never  came  before. 

"...  every  program,  every  measure  in  every  program  must 
be  tested  by  this  question,  and  this  question  only:  Is  it  just;  is 
it  for  the  benefit  of  the  average  man,  without  influence  of  privi- 
lege ;  does  it  embody  in  real  fact  the  highest  conception  of  social 
justice  and  of  right  dealing  without  respect  of  person  or  class  or 
particular  interest  ?  " 

—  President  Wilson,  March,  igi8. 


PREFACE 

For  many  years  I  have  been  meditating  upon  the  mat- 
ters that  have  been  written  about  in  this  book.  I  have 
lectured  about  them  to  students  and  talked  about  them 
to  farmers  and  other  folks.  Long  ago  I  planned  to 
write  them  out  in  a  book  or  series  of  books,  but  I  have 
found  it  nearly  impossible  to  write  satisfactorily  in  the 
midst  of  administrative  duties.  Good  thinking  and 
good  writing  on  themes  such  as  these  require  from  most 
of  us,  time,  fresh  energy,  and  sufficient  relaxation  of 
mind  to  enable  one  to  chew  the  cuds  of  reflection.  Ex- 
ecutives find  it  difficult  to  secure  these  requisites.  I  am 
finishing  these  pages  under  the  pressure  of  a  demand  to 
join  at  once  colleagues  overseas  in  educational  work 
among  our  soldiers. 

All  that  I  have  attempted  in  this  book,  is  to  endeavor 
to  state  the  larger  problems  which  the  farmer  must  face 
during  reconstruction  and  to  indicate  the  significance 
and  character  of  the  relations  between  him  and  the  rest 
of  society  in  this  new  era.  There  has  been  little  at- 
tempt to  furnish  solutions  of  specific  problems:  rather 
to  indicate  a  few  of  the  fundamental  principles  and 
methods  by  which  agricultural  improvement  and  an  ad- 
justment to  world  affairs  can  be  made. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  colle-igues  in  the  Division  of 
Rural  Social  Science  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural 
College,  Dr.  Alexander  E.  Cance  and  Professor  John 
Phelan,   for  helpful  comment  and  criticism;  and  par- 


PREFACE 

ticularly  to  Miss  Lorian  P.  Jefferson,  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Division,  for  close  reading  of  both  man- 
uscript and  proof.  Indeed,  T  am  obliged  to  leave 
for  France  before  the  proof  is  read. 

Kenyon  L.  Butterfield. 
Amherst,  Massachusetts. 
November,  191 8. 


CONTENTS 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM 

CHAPTER 

I  Is  THE  Farmer  Coming  to  His  Own? 

n  The  Challenge  of  the  New  Day  . 

HI  The  Rural  Problem 

IV  Farm  Profits  and  Rural  Welfare 

V  Farming  That  Is  Not  Farming     . 


PAGE 

I 

19 
30 

57 
70 


RURAL  ORGANIZATION 

VI     Wanted:     A  Rural  Policy 84 

VII  The  Education  of  the  Rural  People     .      .    106 

VIII  The  Organization  of  American  Agriculture 

and  Country  Life 122 

IX  The  Making  of  Rural  Communities  .      .      .    142 

X  Organizing  the  Rural  Community     .      .      .    165 

XI  The  Statesmanship  of  Rural  Affairs     .      .191 

A  RURAL  DEMOCRACY 

XII     The  Farmer  and  the  New  Democracy     .      .211 

XIII  An    American    Program    of    Rural    Recon- 

struction        226 

XIV  The  Urge  of  the  New  Day 261 


APPENDICES 

I     The  Forum  and  the  Community    .      .      .      .271 
II     What  Some  Communities  are  Doing    .      .      .   274 

III  Program  for  Food  Production  and  Conserva- 

tion       281 

IV  An  American  Agricultural  Policy     .      .      .291 


THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

CHAPTER  I 

IS  THE  FARMER  COMING  TO  HIS  OWN? 

Many  centuries  ago  a  certain  wise  man  said  that  he 
that  holdeth  the  plow,  and  driveth  oxen,  as  well  as 
every  artificer,  all  who  put  their  trust  in  their  hands, 
shall  not  be  sought  for  in  the  council  of  wise  men  who 
have  leisure  in  which  to  prophesy,  and  to  enter  into  the 
subtleties  of  parables.  What  he  meant  to  say  was  that 
the  common  people  are  fundamentally  necessary  to  the 
world  but  do  not  govern  the  world. 

A  few  months  ago  another  wise  man,  perhaps  the 
most  far-sighted  of  his  generation,  bade  us  "  search  our 
hearts  through  and  through  and  make  them  ready  for 
the  birth  of  a  New  Day  —  a  day,  we  hope  and  believe, 
of  greater  opportunity  .  .  .  for  the  average  mass  of 
struggling  men  and  women." 

Which  of  these  principles  of  human  development 
and  influence  is  to  prevail  in  the  years  and  centuries 
ahead  of  us?  Which  of  these  wise  men  is  the  true 
prophet  for  our  time  —  he  who  condemned  the  com- 
mon man  to  a  position  of  minor  influence  in  society,  or 
he  who  sees  a  new  day  for  the  average  man? 

THE    FARMER    AS    UNDERLING 

It  is  certain  that  during  the  centuries  that  have  passed 
since  the  wise  man  of  Ecclesiasticus  painted  his  picture 


2   THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

of  the  peasant,  in  most  times  and  in  most  places,  the 
farmer  has  been  an  underling.  Even  the  land  that  he 
tilled  has  not  been  his  own.  In  great  spaces  of  the 
earth  the  farmer  was  for  ages  an  actual  slave.  In 
some  regions  even  to-day  he  belongs  to  the  land  and, 
if  the  land  is  sold,  he  goes  with  it  to  the  new  owner. 
If  any  country  is  dark  with  illiteracy,  ignorance,  and 
superstition,  it  will  be  found  that  the  blackest  areas 
are  the  rural  districts.  The  soil  tiller  has  at  the  worst 
been  serf  and  clout,  and  at  the  best,  with  a  few  shining 
exceptions,  rustic  or  peasant.  Rarely  indeed  has  he  sat 
at  the  council-board  of  those  who  determined  the  des- 
tinies of  peoples  or  even  had  a  voice  in  the  policies  that 
governed  his  own  work  and  life. 

THE    SHINING    EXCEPTIONS 

In  republican  Rome  the  farmer  seems  to  have  been 
held  in  respect  and  to  have  had  a  satisfactory  place  in 
the  business  of  the  time.  Of  the  standing  of  Roman 
farmers  in  general,  Cato  says  that  when  a  Roman 
wished  to  commend  an  honest  man  he  termed  him  a 
good  husbandman,  a  good  farmer.  This  was  rated 
the  superlative  of  praise.  It  was,  he  continues,  from 
the  tillers  of  the  soil  that  sprang  the  best  citizens,  the 
stanchest  soldiers,  and  theirs  were  the  most  enduring  re- 
wards. A  survey  of  Roman  literature  reveals  many  a 
prominent  name  made  famous  chiefly  through  writings 
on  agricultural  subjects.  Cato,  farmer,  soldier,  law- 
yer, is  known  to  us  almost  wholly  through  his  De  Re 
Rustica,  which  reveals  his  wide  farm  experience. 
Varro,  "  the  most  learned  of  the  Romans,"  left  to  the 
world  the  best  practical  work  on  farm  management 
which  has  come  down  to  us  from  the  ancients  —  Rerum 
Rusticarum,  a.  careful  statement  of  actual  experience 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  3 

and  knowledge  of  a  successful  farmer.  Virgil  dis- 
coursed on  the  joys  of  country  life.  Cincinnatus  left 
his  plow  for  war  on  behalf  of  his  country.  Agricul- 
ture for  centuries  was  the  bed-roclc  of  Rome's  strength, 
and  farmers  were  not  kept  out  of  the  councils  of  the 
wise. 

Again  we  find  an  exception  to  the  dreary  monotony 
of  rural  dependency  in  the  English  *'  yeoman."  Of  a 
population  of  perhaps  two  and  one-half  millions  in 
England  in  the  seventeenth  century,  it  is  estimated  that 
not  less  than  eleven-twelfths  were  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture. According  to  statistics  for  the  year  1688,  there 
were  180,000  families  of  yeomen,  known  as  freehold- 
ers, and  150,000  families  of  farmers.  These  figures 
are  significant  in  connection  with  a  total  of  1,360,000 
families  in  England  at  the  time.  The  freeholders  were 
actual  farm  owners,  living  on  the  soil,  and  the  farmers 
were  those  tenants  who  paid  an  annual  rent  for  their 
holdings  about  equal  to  the  annual  value  of  the  farm. 
The  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  the  time 
when  the  English  yeomen  enjoyed  the  greatest  freedom 
and  prosperity.  They  owned  their  own  land  or  rented 
it  on  favorable  terms  and  for  desirable  periods;  they 
were  sturdy  and  independent,  often  daring  to  oppose, 
"  in  voting  and  in  fighting,"  the  neighboring  squire. 
One  writer  of  the  period  said,  "  The  yeomanry  is  an 
estate  of  people  almost  peculiar  to  England;  [he] 
wears  russet  clothes,  but  makes  golden  payments,  hav- 
ing tin  In  his  buttons  but  silver  In  his  pockets.  He 
seldom  goes  abroad,  and  his  credit  goes  farther  than 
his  travel."  Economically  the  farmers  [tenants]  were 
about  equal  to  the  freeholders,  differing  considerably, 
however,  in  social  standing. 


4      THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


MODERN    RAINBOWS    OF    PROMISE 

During  the  past  fifty  years  there  has  grown  up  in 
certain  European  countries  a  new  treatment  of  the 
farmer  and  in  some  respects  a  new  attitude  toward 
him.  He  has  acquired  a  new  power  in  affairs.  Per- 
haps the  most  conspicuous  examples  of  this  new  situa- 
tion are  Germany,  Denmark,  and  Ireland.  Other 
countries,  such  as  Holland,  Belgium,  Switzerland, 
France,  and  even  Italy,  in  many  ways  stand  out  in  the 
light  of  a  splendid  progress  and  an  intelligent  states- 
manship in  rural  affairs.  But  on  the  whole  the  three 
countries  first  named  are  the  best  illustrations  of  a  rural 
development  which  has  been  planned  in  advance;  each 
country  has  made  a  special  contribution  to  rural  im- 
provement. 

Germany  had  probably  developed  before  the  war  the 
most  far-reaching  agricultural  policy  that  we  know  —  a 
policy  grounded  in  national  aspirations  and  designs. 
The  principles  underlying  this  policy  were  simple 
enough,  especially  as  we  view  them  now  in  the  light  of 
the  world  war.  Germany  encouraged  agriculture  for 
two  great  reasons:  (i)  That  she  might  feed  herself 
in  time  of  war;  (2)  that  she  might  breed  soldiers. 
Her  tariffs  on  food  products;  her  encouragement  of  col- 
lective selling  of  farm  products  and  of  collective  pur- 
chase of  farm  requirements;  her  remarkable  machinery 
for  furnishing  the  farmer  with  both  short-time  and 
long-time  credit;  her  more  than  tolerance  of  great  asso- 
ciations of  farmers  and  the  granting  of  semi-oflicial 
standing  to  their  leaders ;  her  widespread  and  very  effec- 
tive system  of  agricultural  education  —  all  these 
(added  to  the  fact  that  German  agriculture,  and  conse- 
quently the  very  structure  of  German  society  itself,  rests 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  5 

upon  the  broad  back  of  German  farm  women)  made 
Germany  all  but  self-sustaining  at  the  time  she  chose 
war  for  her  portion.  Her  encouragement  of  small 
farming  and  large  families,  her  methods  of  "  keeping 
boys  on  the  farm,"  her  care  of  public  health,  added  to 
her  system  of  military  training,  gave  her  the  huge 
armies  that  she  flung  into  Belgium  and  France,  into 
Russia  and  the  Balkans.  Thus  Germany,  pursuing  for 
two  generations  a  consistent  agricultural  policy,  was  en- 
abled, on  a  soil  originally  not  especially  rich  and  from 
an  area  smaller  than  that  of  the  state  of  Texas,  to  pro- 
vide perhaps  nine-tenths  of  the  food  for  her  seventy 
millions  of  people.  Her  attitude  toward  agriculture, 
it  may  be  said  in  passing,  won  for  her  militaristic  policy 
the  support  of  the  agricultural  classes.  Thus,  while 
we  detest  the  spirit  and  method  of  the  Germany  that  is 
responsible  for  the  horrible  carnage  of  the  world  war, 
we  find  in  that  country  that  the  soil  tiller  came  to  a  place 
of  comparative  influence  and  power. 

Denmark,  in  1866,  found  herself  deprived  of  the 
richest  part  of  her  soil  by  the  war  with  Germany.  She 
had  few  manufactures  and  has  not  many  to-day.  She 
had  little  capital  but  grit,  a  vision  of  a  complete  agri- 
culture and  wonderful  leadership.  In  half  a  century 
she  developed  probably  the  most  fully  organized  and 
generally  prosperous  agriculture  of  any  political  area 
in  the  world.  She  chose  a  few  products  on  which  to 
specialize,  those  to  which  she  was  best  adapted  and 
for  which  a  market  could  be  found.  Danish  butter, 
Danish  bacon,  and  Danish  eggs  made  their  way  against 
all  competitors  and  caused  the  Danish  farmer  to  be- 
come a  factor  not  only  at  home  but  in  the  national 
economy  of  other  countries. 

For  decades  and  even  centuries  Ireland  was  the  land 


6      THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

of  political  protest  and  rebellion.  Her  sons  and  daugh- 
ters left  her  by  millions,  her  poverty  both  in  city  and  in 
country  grew  apace.  Absentee  landlordism  became  a 
stench  and  a  byword  among  the  terribly  poor  tenantry. 
And  then  a  prophet  arose  in  that  land  and  proclaimed 
a  new  gospel  of  reformation.  Horace  Plunkett  had  a 
simple  message  that  went  to  the  root  of  the  situation; 
Ireland's  farming  must  be  rehabilitated;  her  land  must 
be  owned  by  those  who  till  it;  the  day  of  the  lone  farmer 
has  passed  and  the  day  of  the  rural  cooperation  has 
dawned;  there  must  be  a  new  rural  civilization,  adequate 
and  satisfying  economically  and  socially;  self-sustaining 
local  rural  communities  must  be  built  up  as  the  bul- 
wark of  a  true  democracy  of  work  and  life  as  well  as 
of  government.  And  so,  by  19 14,  half  of  Ireland's 
farm  land  had  passed  from  big  landlord  to  little  farmer 

—  the  "  family  size  "  farm  was  the  unit  of  measure 

—  hundreds  of  cooperative  societies  were  in  active  and 
successful  operation,  the  spirit  of  cooperation  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  spirit  of  apartness.  The  flame  of  Irish 
enthusiasm  and  endeavor  on  behalf  of  rural  interests 
has  been  carried  to  our  own  shores  and  has  lighted 
many  a  torch  of  leadership  in  rural  affairs. 

SOME    LESSONS    FOR    US 

It  is  worth  while  to  take  note  of  the  underlying  meth- 
ods and  results  of  these  great  national  enterprises  in 
agricultural  betterment,  for  they  may  have  some  valu- 
able lessons  for  us  in  America.  Germany,  with  its 
far-reaching  agricultural  policy;  Denmark,  with  its  very 
complete,  almost  perfect  system  of  cooperative  effort 
in  production  and  sale  of  food;  Ireland,  with  its  ideals 
of  social  development  and  rural  community  building  — 
these  countries,  together  with  the  others  already  named, 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  7 

seem  to  have  brought  the  farmer  into  a  new  and  higher 
position  in  the  business  and  life  of  the  nations.  What 
are  the  fundamental  conditions  under  which  this  change 
was  accomplished? 

1.  First  was  the  spur  of  necessity.  At  bottom  it  was 
the  competition  from  America,  Argentina,  and  Aus- 
tralia, or  some  serious  internal  difficulty  that  forced  the 
European  farmer  into  the  depths  of  despair  and  thus 
compelled  statesmen  to  plan  for  his  recuperation. 
"  Something  had  to  be  done." 

2.  The  great  principles  of  improvement  which  were 
recognized  and  used  at  every  turn  were  education  and 
organization.  Neither  was  more  important  than  the 
other;  both  were  indispensable  and  neither  alone  was 
efficient.  Organization  meant  governmental  approval, 
recognition,  and  even  financial  aid  in  all  efforts  at  volun- 
tary cooperation  among  farmers,  especially  in  the  busi- 
ness side  of  farming  —  selling  products,  buying  sup- 
plies, and  various  forms  of  collective  credit  and  insur- 
ance. Even  in  Germany,  in  spite  of  an  opinion  to  the 
contrary,  the  main  idea  was  for  government  to  help 
farmers  to  help  themselves.  Education  meant  a  wide- 
spread system  of  technical  education  in  agriculture 
adapted  to  all  degrees  of  intelligence,  placed  within 
reach  of  every  youth  and  every  adult  living  on  the  land. 
In  some  cases,  the  great  cooperative  societies  carried  on 
this  educational  work  themselves,  but  always  as  a  real 
part  of  a  publicly  supported  and  thoroughly  organized 
system. 

3.  There  was  developed  in  each  country  a  well 
planned  and  fairly  definite  agricultural  program.  This 
program  was  capable  of  being  put  upon  paper.  It  had 
been  hammered  out  in  conferences  of  all  the  interests 
concerned.      It  was  relatively  stable.      It  was  a  plan 


8      THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

of  agricultural  improvement  recognized  by  farmers  as 
meeting  their  needs  and  by  statesmen  as  fitting  into  na- 
tional welfare. 

4.  Finally,  agriculture  came  to  be  recognized  as  a 
national  factor,  to  be  planned  for  and  worked  with  for 
large  national  ends.  It  was  no  longer  a  neglected  ele- 
ment. And  so  the  leaders  among  the  farmers  were  in 
a  sense  received  at  court;  they  did  "  sit  with  the  wise 
men  at  the  gate  of  the  city." 

Thus  when  the  great  war  broke  out  in  1 9 1 4,  it  seemed 
as  if  in  many  parts  of  Europe  the  farmer  had  in  a  meas- 
ure at  last  come  to  his  own.  It  still  remains  to  be  seen 
whether,  in  the  reestablishment  of  peaceful  occupations, 
and  particularly  in  the  democratization  of  autocratic 
states,  the  farmer  is  to  have  a  full  share  of  responsibil- 
ity and  power. 

THE    AMERICAN    FARMER 

The  final  and  the  greatest  exception  to  the  general 
position  of  the  farmer  in  society  is  the  American  farmer. 
In  no  age  of  history  and  in  no  country  has  there  been 
nor  is  there  now  his  equal.  American  farm  life  has 
bred  the  most  skillful  farmers,  the  most  intelligent  rural 
citizens,  the  most  engaging  farm  homes  to  be  found 
anywhere  in  the  world.  This  praise  applies  to  the  real 
American  farmer,  the  owner  and  active  manager  of  a 
family-size  farm,  who  came  of  the  best  blood  of  pioneer 
America,  whose  intelligence  is  comparable  with  that  of 
the  leading  groups  of  citizens  of  the  Republic,  many  of 
whose  sons  and  daughters  have  made  their  way  into 
recognized  leadership  in  business,  industry,  and  the 
professions.  It  is  difficult  to  speak  with  restraint  of 
this  man  or  his  achievements.     He  conquered  a  huge 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  9 

continent  of  rich  soil  for  civilization.  He  carried  to 
the  frontier  an  eager  desire  for  education,  the  demo- 
cratic impulse,  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  He  has 
helped  fight  his  country's  battles.  He  has  been  the  bed- 
rock of  representative  government.  His  independent 
spirit,  his  abundant  energy,  his  high  intelligence  have 
made  him  without  a  peer  among  the  tillers  of  the  soil. 
His  income  is  supposed  to  be  two  and  one-half  times 
that  of  the  English  farmer,  three  times  that  of  the  Ger- 
man farmer,  and  six  times  that  of  the  Italian  farmer. 

A  rather  careful  survey  of  the  agricultural  produc- 
tion of  different  nations  indicates  that  the  production 
of  the  American  farmer,  whether  considered  by  him- 
self or  with  all  those  dependent  upon  him,  is  several 
times  that  of  the  German,  British,  French,  or  Italian 
farmer.  The  exact  relation  may  be  shown  in  the  fol- 
lowing table,  in  which  an  arbitrary  index  figure  is  used 
to  show  relative  values.  If  we  call  the  index  of 
productivity  for  each  American  engaged  in  agriculture 
292;  the  index  for  the  British  farmer  is  126;  for  each 
German  farmer,  119;  for  the  French  farmer,  90;  and 
for  the  Italian  farmer,  45.  That  is  to  say,  the  volume 
of  productivity  of  each  American  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture is  about  two  and  one-half  times  that  of  the  English 
agriculturist,  nearly  three  times  that  of  the  German 
farmer,  and  six  times  that  of  the  Italian. 

Fixing  at  1,000  the  productivity  of  each  American 
dependent  on  agriculture,  which  includes  all  persons 
gainfully  employed  in  agriculture  as  well  as  those  de- 
pendent on  them,  the  German  index  will  be  685,  or 
68  per  cent,  as  much;  for  the  Briton,  425,  or  42  per 
cent.;  for  the  Frenchman,  406,  or  40  per  cent.;  and  for 
the  Italian  230,  or  23  per  cent.     Of  course  this  table 


lo    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

merely  shows  that  for  each  person  employed  in  agri- 
culture in  America,  there  are  more  unemployed  de- 
pendents than  there  are  in  other  countries. 

Index  of  productivity  per  person: 

For  each  American  dependent  upon  agj-iculture . . .  .  1004 

For  each  German  dependent  upon  agriculture 685 

For  each  Briton  dependent  upon  agriculture 425 

For  each  Frenchman  dependent  upon  agriculture  .  .   406 
For  each  Italian  dependent  upon  agriculture 230 

Index  of  productivity  per  person : 

For  each  American  engaged  in  agriculture 292 

For  each  Briton  engaged  in  agriculture 126 

For  each  German  engaged  in  agriculture 119 

For  each  Frenchman  engaged  in  agriculture 90 

For  each  Italian  engaged  in  agriculture 45 

RIFTS    IN    THE    LUTE 

But  there  has  been  another  side  to  the  story.  The 
pioneer  experiences  were  trying,  often  discouraging, 
not  seldom  heart-breaking.  There  have  been  poor 
farmers  both  on  poor  land  and  on  good  land,  as  well 
as  good  farmers  on  poor  land,  with  resulting  ineffi- 
ciency. Farming  regions  have  competed  for  the  mar- 
kets. Financial  returns  have  often  been  meager,  many 
total  failures  have  ensued,  mortgages  have  been  fore- 
closed, women  have  gone  insane  from  isolation  and 
drudgery.  These  and  other  discouragements  have 
from  time  to  time  resulted  in  organized  protest;  the 
great  farmers'  organizations  of  the  country  have  all 
grown  out  of  the  spur  of  disadvantages  to  masses  of 
farmers.  The  dissatisfaction  of  farmers  was  peculiarly 
acute   during  the  period   from   about    1875    to    1895. 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  ii 

Since  1895  ^^^  rapidly  decreasing  percentage  of  new 
lands  coming  under  cultivation,  with  a  resulting  decline 
in  ratio  between  farm  producers  and  urban  consumers, 
the  freer  absorption  of  the  food  supply  by  both  Ameri- 
can and  foreign  markets,  the  gradual  rise  in  price  levels 
have  given  us  an  era  of  relative  rural  prosperity.  In- 
deed some  of  the  evidences  of  this  prosperity  in  the 
form  of  the  free  purchase  and  use  of  automobiles,  enor- 
mous statistical  aggregates  of  value  of  animal  and  field 
production,  the  ability  of  many  farmers  to  "  retire  " 
during  middle  life,  have  blinded  us  to  sinister  tendencies 
that  have  been  creeping  into  our  American  agriculture 
as  silently  and  as  relentlessly  as  the  inflowing  tides  of 
the  sea.  Without  aiming  to  make  a  complete  state- 
ment of  these  depressing  facts,  it  will  suffice  to  mention 
those  that  seem  to  be  most  significant  in  a  bearing  upon 
the  question  whether  or  not  the  American  farmer  will 
hold  his  own. 

1.  The  great  majority  of  American  farmers  are  not 
to-day  securing  from  their  labor  a  reward  which  they 
regard  as  fair  to  themselves,  nor  one  which  students  of 
social  science  consider  satisfactory  from  the  stand- 
point of  minimum  requirements  for  a  decent  living. 
The  best  figures  obtainable  indicate  an  average  labor 
income  for  the  American  farmer  of  $400  per  year. 
There  are  some  states,  indeed  some  whole  regions, 
where  farmers  on  the  whole  are  very  prosperous;  but 
this  fact  merely  adds  force  to  the  discouragingly  meager 
income  in  those  areas  where  the  returns  are  at  or  below 
the  average. 

2.  There  is  a  widespread,  almost  a  universal,  belief 
among  farmers  that,  as  the  phrase  goes,  "  the  farmer 
does  not  get  his  share  of  the  consumer's  dollar." 
Doubtless  some  statistics  on  this  point  are  misleading; 


12    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

unquestionably  rural  public  opinion  is  narrow  with  re- 
spect to  the  real  values  created  by  middlemen;  and 
probably  distribution  has  been  charged  with  failures 
that  as  a  matter  of  fact  are  due  to  poor  business  man- 
agement on  the  part  of  farmers,  or  to  competition  be- 
tween rival  areas  of  production,  or  merely  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  season's  weather.  Nevertheless  there  is 
ample  ground  for  the  assertion  that  the  farmers  are 
quite  right  in  the  main  contention.  Our  system  of  dis- 
tributing food  products  works  in  general  against  the 
farmers'  interests.  Wonderfully  complete  and  ef- 
fective in  many  ways  as  a  system  of  carrying  food  from 
and  into  all  corners  of  an  immense  country  and  into 
foreign  lands,  it  is  a  system  costly  to  run  and  built  up 
with  scant  regard  to  the  farmer's  share. 

3.  The  growth  in  tenant  farming  has  become  notable, 
especially  in  quite  recent  years.  To  a  degree  this  was 
inevitable.  A  vast  number  of  American  farmers  came 
into  possession  of  their  farms  either  by  direct  gift  of 
the  nation  or  at  prices  that  were  merely  nominal. 
Ownership  was  made  easy.  There  was  small  excuse 
for  tenant  farming.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  demand 
for  land  outran  the  supply  of  virgin  soil,  the  landless 
farmers  were  compelled  to  rent  in  order  to  "  get  a 
start."  No  doubt  a  fair  proportion  of  present  day 
tenant  farming  is  due  simply  to  the  fact  that  the  farmer 
has  to  use  this  method  of  arriving  at  ownership  —  he 
is  on  the  way  to  possession.  But  there  are  features  of 
this  movement  toward  tenantry  that  are  very  disturb- 
ing. It  is  in  the  main  a  transient  form  of  tenant  farm- 
ing. Figures  gathered  by  the  Census  Bureau  in  19 10 
showed  that  out  of  six  and  one-third  million  farmers, 
1,787,473  tenant  farmers  had  been  on  the  land  they 
were  tilling  four  years  or  less,  and  1,123,722  but  one 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  13 

year  or  less.  These  figures  are  for  both  share  and 
cash  tenants.  Now  the  evils  of  such  a  situation  need 
no  explanation.  Poor  farming  is  inevitable;  soil  de- 
pletion is  unescapable;  futile,  ineffective  lives  of  farm- 
ers and  their  families  are  unavoidable;  and  worst  of  all, 
the  deterioration  of  rural  communities  becomes  hope- 
lessly certain.  We  have  reached  a  point  in  American 
agriculture  where  it  is  worth  while  to  hold  land  for  its 
speculative  rather  than  for  its  true  economic  value. 
In  some  of  our  most  prosperous  farming  states  land  is 
slowly  but  surely  passing  into  the  hands  of  absentee 
landlords  —  not  merely  farmers  who  can  afford  to  re- 
tire to  the  village  or  county  seat,  but  to  an  increasing 
extent  men  whose  main  business  is  banking,  mercan- 
tiling,  or  the  law,  and  whose  investment  in  farm  land 
is  purely  speculative, 

4.  Perhaps  the  most  menacing  tendency  in  American 
agriculture  is  one  that  curiously  enough  attracts  little 
attention  among  the  farmers  themselves.  It  may  be 
expressed  by  saying  that  in  some  ways  many  of  our  rich- 
est farming  districts  are  becoming  our  poorest.  The 
prosperous  farmer  in  his  pride  says,  "  1  can  afford  to 
retire."  Retiring  means  moving  away  from  the  farm. 
He  has  pulled  out  by  the  roots  his  leadership  in  his  com- 
munity. His  support  of  local  enterprise  is  no  longer 
felt.  If  his  place  be  taken  by  his  son  or  other  young 
man  educated,  interested,  public-spirited,  the  case  is 
not  so  bad.  But  as  a  rule  his  place  is  taken  by  a  man 
of  lesser  capacity  whose  interest  in  community  affairs 
is  transient.  The  sense  of  community  responsibility, 
the  feeling  of  local  patriotism,  the  pull  and  push  of 
loyalty  to  the  common  good  of  the  neighborhood  has 
dried  up  as  the  rootage  of  personal  attachment  to  the 
farming  community  has  been  exposed. 


14    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

As  a  consequence  it  Is  probable  that  the  great  funda- 
mental social  institutions  such  as  the  rural  school  and 
the  country  church  are  not  merely  relatively  but  ac- 
tually less  efficient  than  formerly  in  many  parts  of  our 
country,  even  in  regions  in  which  land  owners  are  very 
prosperous  in  a  business  way.  In  some  cases  these 
changes  for  the  worse  are  so  marked  that  we  find  that 
entire  neighborhoods  in  the  course  of  perhaps  two  dec- 
ades become  populated  by  a  class  clearly  less  effective, 
less  intelligent,  and  less  ambitious  than  was  formerly 
the  case. 

Now  this  way  lies  the  extinction  of  the  "  American 
farmer."  If  farm  "  prosperity  "  spells  actual  rural 
decline,  the  yeoman  type  of  soil  tiller  is  doomed.  The 
new  peasant  will  take  the  place  of  the  old  plowman. 
One  may  still  view  the  whole  picture  of  American  agri- 
culture with  pride,  but  only  the  blind  optimist  can  fail 
to  see  the  menace  of  these  and  other  similar  tendencies 
in  our  rural  affairs. 

WHAT   THE    WAR    HAS    REVEALED 

And  then  came  the  war.  How  it  intensified  our 
thought  about  the  future  welfare  of  our  country!  Ab- 
sorbed as  we  were  in  our  effort  to  win  the  war,  down 
underneath  our  activity  we  kept  pondering  the  ques- 
tion, What  is  the  war  to  bring  us  as  its  great  abiding 
results?  And  so  in  agriculture  we  ask,  What  has  the 
war  revealed? 

I.  "Food  will  win  the  war"  was  an  exaggerated 
statement  of  a  great  fact.  Never  before  in  all  our 
history  has  our  sheer  dependence  upon  the  soil  and  the 
men  who  till  the  soil  revealed  itself  to  the  multitudes 
who  have  never  had  a  curious  question  as  to  where  food 
comes  from,  much  less  as  to  the  welfare  or  the  people 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  15 

who  grow  it.  The  war  staasl^.  brought  the  farmer  to 
his  own  in  respect  to  a  new  consciousness  on  the  part 
of  the  world's  food  users  of  their  utter  dependence 
upon  him. 

2.  The  war  revealed  to  the  farmer  more  clearly 
his  duty  as  a  member  of  society.  He  has  seen  as  never 
before  his  obligation  to  strain  his  back  to  even  severer 
toil  for  the  sake  of  those  so  dependent  upon  him. 
Heretofore  he  has  naturally  been  more  concerned  with 
his  rights  —  with  getting  a  fair  and  just  return  for  his 
labor.  He  has  not  felt  a  keen  personal  sense  of  obliga- 
tion to  supply  food  for  people  who  can't  grow  it  for 
themselves.  Now  the  deepest  parts  of  a  nature  rich 
in  feeling  have  been  touched.  The  farmer  has  been 
asked  to  produce,  not  primarily  for  profit  but  for  a 
great  cause.  And  has  the  farmer  responded?  In- 
deed he  has  responded.  If  America's  part  in  the  war 
is  ever  adequately  written,  one  of  the  great  chapters 
will  tell  of  the  way  in  which  the  farmers  who  stayed  on 
the  land,  working  under  the  greatest  difficulties,  met 
the  "  call  to  the  colors." 

3.  But  the  war  also  revealed  a  vacant  chair  at  the 
nation's  council  table  —  the  chair  of  the  farmer. 
(And  here  let  us  recall  the  writer  of  Ecclesias- 
ticus.)  The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
with  its  great  machinery  and  its  staff  of  trained  and 
able  men;  its  auxiliaries,  the  agricultural  colleges  and 
schools;  and  particularly  the  new  but  effective  system 
of  county  farm  bureaus  —  verily  raised  up  for  the 
great  hour  —  all  have  done  an  effective  and  indis- 
pensable service  in  the  crisis.  Groups  of  farmers  have 
from  time  to  time  and  to  an  increasing  extent  been  in 
consultation  with  responsible  officials  of  government 
and  their  counsel  been  made  effective.     Nevertheless 


1 6    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  working  farmers  of  America  as  a  class  have  not 
been  represented  in  any  authoritative  or  adequate  way 
in  the  groups  that  have  outlined  policies  nor  in  the 
councils  that  have  determined  destinies,  either  with  re- 
spect to  agriculture  itself,  nor  in  those  fields  of  effort 
in  which  the  farmers  as  a  great  class  of  citizens  have  a 
special  interest.  This  is  not  a  new  situation.  The 
war  has  merely  revealed  it  in  an  accentuated  form. 
The  farmer  has  never  been  taken  into  council  about  the 
big  affairs  of  the  nation  in  political,  business  or  welfare 
enterprises.  "How  will  it  affect  the  farmer?"  is  a 
question  seldom  asked  in  a  serious,  intelligent  way  in 
those  conferences  in  which  great  movements  for  human 
wellbcing  are  started  and  maintained. 

4.  Our  entrance  into  the  world  war  also  revealed  the 
absence  of  a  national  agricultural  policy,  clear,  definite, 
accepted  by  the  farmers.  The  war  made  clear  once 
for  all  that  the  problem  of  food  supply  is  one  problem, 
and  that  a  program  of  activities  for  the  farmers  must 
fit  into  a  program  not  only  for  producing  but  also  for 
distributing  and  using  the  food  produced.  We  did  not 
have  at  the  opening  of  the  war,  and  we  do  not  yet  have, 
a  food  supply  policy  on  a  national  scale,  unified  in  its 
program  and  fully  cooperative  in  its  methods,  with  all 
agencies  working  as  one  instrumentality  in  an  effort  to 
carry  on  one  big  task.  Part  by  part  we  developed  an 
agricultural  policy  for  the  war,  but  slowly,  hesitatingly, 
partially.  Our  agricultural  preparedness  for  the  war 
was  but  little  further  advanced  than  was  our  military 
preparedness. 

5.  It  is  quite  clear  that  both  lack  of  agricultural 
representation  in  national  affairs  and  absence  of  a  dis- 
tinct agricultural  policy  are  in  a  very  real  way  the 
farmer's  own  fault.     The  secret  of  the  matter  is  the 


COMING  TO  HIS  OWN?  17 

unorganized  character  of  agriculture.  "  Farmers'  or- 
ganizations "  there  are,  of  considerable  recognized 
power.  Associated  efforts  there  are  by  the  thousand 
for  various  purposes.  We  have  a  huge  and  on  the 
whole  an  effective  scheme  of  publicly  supported  agri- 
cultural education.  We  have  an  alert  agricultural 
press.  But  there  is  no  national  figure  nor  central  group 
of  men  to  voice  authoritatively  any  message  to  or  from 
the  farmers.  There  is  no  one  of  the  farmers  to  speak 
for  the  farmers.  American  agriculture,  unlike  other 
prime  industries,  is  not  organized.  It  is  a  great  un- 
wieldy, complex  mass  of  individuals  and  relatively  small 
groups,  without  effective  unity  of  thought  to  direct  or 
tongue  to  express. 

6.  In  the  current  discussions  about  the  problem  of 
"  reconstruction,"  slight  attention  is  being  given  to  agri- 
culture. An  examination  of  many  recent  books  about 
"  democracy,"  "  the  new  social  order,"  "  industrial 
democracy,"  "  the  new  epoch  "  reveals  an  almost  utter 
failure  to  sense  the  significance  of  the  farmer's  place  in 
democracy  in  social  and  industrial  re-formation.  Agri- 
culture is  still  the  largest  single  industry  in  America 
however  measured.  It  employs  directly  more  men  than 
any  other  industry.  Do  we  desire  social  justice  for 
our  people  ?  Nearly  half  of  them  live  under  rural  con- 
ditions. Do  we  wish  to  reorganize  our  educational 
system  in  the  Interests  of  a  "  safer  "  democracy?  Con- 
siderably more  than  a  third  of  the  children  of  the  land 
are  to  be  found  in  the  "  little  red  schoolhouse,"  Are 
we  anxious  lest  the  New  Day  will  fail  to  give  us  a  firmer 
grip  on  the  spiritual  and  ideal  aspects  of  our  work  and 
life?  Probably  forty  million  souls  are  either  touched 
or  untouched  In  the  matter  of  religious  values  and  mo- 
tives by  the  country  church.      The  declaration  of  the 


i8     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

British  Labor  Party,  regarded  by  all  true  liberals  as 
one  of  the  great  social  documents  of  any  period,  is  all 
but  silent  with  respect  to  the  rights  and  duties  of  farm- 
ers in  the  new  social  order.  Yet  the  food  problem  of 
Great  Britain  is  vital,  Germany's  aid  to  agriculture 
was  the  bed  rock  of  her  power  to  fight.  If  Russia  is 
ever  redeemed,  it  will  be  achieved  through  the  educa- 
tion and  organization  of  her  peasantry,  which  con- 
stitutes more  than  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  her  popu- 
lation. The  Balkan  states  are  nothing  but  rural  prov- 
inces.     China  and  India  are  largely  rural. 

IS   THE    FARMER    REALLY    COMING   TO    HIS    OWN? 

Thus  the  war  has  once  more  brought  to  the  fore  this 
age-old  query.  It  has  shown  us  in  America  particularly 
both  the  great,  splendid  strength  and  the  serious, 
menacing  weakness  of  our  farming  and  our  farm  life. 
We  must  pause  to  discover  whether  the  American 
farmer  is  moving  upward  in  his  place  in  society  or 
gradually  sinking  in  the  scale.  Is  it  to  be  easier  or 
harder  for  his  sons  to  buy  land  and  to  make  a  fair 
profit  from  it,  than  it  was  for  him  or  for  his  grand- 
father? Whither?  This  is  the  big  question  in  our 
rural  affairs.  Is  the  farmer  even  holding  his  own? 
The  American  farmer  has  been  a  great  exception  to  the 
century-old  rule  that  "  he  that  holdeth  the  plow  .  .  . 
shall  not  understand  the  covenant  of  judgment,  nor  be 
sought  for  in  the  council  of  the  people."  But  in  the 
New  Day,  in  which  we  devoutly  hope  and  fervently 
pray  that  we  may  have  an  end  of  economic  serfdom, 
can  we  preserve  this  yeoman,  this  well-bred,  highly  in- 
telligent, individually  effective  citizen,  the  American 
Farmer? 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  CHALLENGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY 

The  Hebrews  of  Isaiah's  time  looked  forward  to  a 
golden  age  with  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  when 
"  Thy  people  also  shall  be  all  righteous:  they  shall  in- 
herit the  land  forever,  the  branch  of  my  planting,  the 
work  of  my  hands,  that  I  may  be  glorified.  A  little 
one  shall  become  a  thousand,  and  a  small  one  a  strong 
nation."  Centuries  later,  with  faith  still  high  and  gaze 
still  eager,  the  seer  beheld  the  holy  city  let  down  from 
heaven,  and  heard  the  promise  that  God  would  dwell 
with  his  people  and  would  wipe  away  all  tears  from 
their  eyes. 

All  through  history  the  human  mind  has  held  to  the 
ideal  of  a  better  day  for  mankind.  The  tragedy  of  the 
ages  has  been  its  postponement.  But  the  hope  never 
dies.  It  springs  afresh  with  new  opportunities  and 
there  is  in  each  new  effort  some  gain.  The  war  stirred 
to  its  depths  this  spirit  of  a  progress  to  be  made  in 
terms  of  human  welfare  and  happiness.  The  Allies 
were  forced  to  meet  a  huge  and  conscienceless  effort  on 
the  part  of  an  exceedingly  strong  people  to  achieve 
world  power  by  force.  But  among  the  Allies  them- 
selves there  were  at  the  outset  mixed  motives.  Ideas 
of  imperialism  unquestionably  were  ingrained  in  the 
minds  of  their  statesmen  until  the  United  States  en- 
tered the  war.  At  that  time  came  the  great  interpreta- 
tion of  the  deep  possibilities  of  the  war  —  to  "  make 

19 


20    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  world  safe  for  democracy."  Like  a  flood  the  age- 
old  ideals  burst  forth  once  more  with  new  expressions 
of  resolve. 

So  to-day  there  is  a  widespread  hope  that  a  New  Day 
for  mankind  is  about  to  dawn,  yes,  has  dawned.  Books 
without  end  are  already  written  on  the  text  that  a  New 
Day  is  upon  us.  Men  are  recasting  their  thinking, 
seeking  to  discover  what  all  this  means  for  them  and 
for  others.  Groups  of  men  and  women  are  trying  to 
write  down  on  paper  statements  that  will  express  their 
views  of  what  gains  we  may  make  now  that  the  war  has 
ended. 

Among  all  these  efforts  to  express  the  real  meaning 
of  the  New  Day,  the  one  that  has  attracted  most  at- 
tention is  "  the  draft  report  on  reconstruction,"  pre- 
pared by  members  of  the  British  Labor  Party.  While 
radical  in  its  spirit,  it  is  notable  alike  for  the  breadth 
and  scope  of  its  ideas,  for  the  sweeping  character  of 
its  proposed  methods,  for  the  dignity  and  clearness  of 
its  style,  and  for  the  prospective  political  influence  of 
its  sponsors.  The  most  significant  words  in  this  docu- 
ment and  among  the  most  important  words  of  recent 
times  are  these:  "  We  must  ensure  that  what  is  pres- 
ently to  be  built  up  is  a  new  social  order,  based  not  on 
fighting  but  on  fraternity  —  not  on  the  competitive 
struggle  for  the  means  of  bare  life,  but  on  deliberately 
planned  cooperation  in  production  and  distribution  for 
the  benefit  of  all  who  participate  by  hand  or  by  brain  — 
not  on  the  utmost  inequality  of  riches,  but  on  a  system- 
atic approach  towards  a  healthy  equality  of  material 
circumstances  for  every  person  born  into  the  world  — 
not  on  an  enforced  dominion  over  subject  nations,  sub- 
ject races,  subject  colonies,  subject  classes,  or  a  subject 
sex,  but  in  industry  as  well  as  in  government,  on  that 


CHALLENGE  OF  NEW  DAY  21 

equal  freedom,  that  general  consciousness  of  consent, 
and  that  widest  participation  in  power,  both  economic 
and  poHtical,  which  is  characteristic  of  democracy." 

Here  is  the  slogan  of  the  New  Day  —  complete  so- 
cial reconstruction.  Not  a  mending,  patching,  repair- 
ing process,  but  a  rebuilding  of  human  society,  a  true 
re-formation. 

These  words  sound  like  the  theories  of  dreamers, 
the  visions  of  quiet  students  who  have  never  had  to 
hew  their  way  in  the  world.  No;  they  are  the  sober 
voice  of  wage  earners,  hand  worlcers,  millions  of  them, 
who  look  forward  to  a  New  Day  for  themselves  and 
for  others  —  not  as  a  dream  but  as  a  goal  to  strive  for 
at  once.  This  gospel  of  the  New  Day  was  abroad  be- 
fore the  war  broke  out.  In  our  own  land  the  fight 
against  special  privilege  had  taken  on  new  vigor  when 
Mr.  Roosevelt  as  President  threw  his  great  personality 
into  the  struggle  and  announced  his  allegiance  to  the 
forces  of  public  righteousness  and  business  morality. 
The  political  Progressive  movement  was  fundamentally 
a  revolt  against  predatory  wealth  and  the  entrenched 
power  of  a  few,  and  on  behalf  of  the  welfare  of  the 
many.  But  the  war  has  driven  the  longing  of  the  com- 
mon people  ahead  a  whole  generation;  it  has  given 
them  a  new  power  in  big  affairs;  it  has  even  obliterated 
national  lines  and  shown  that  people  the  world  over 
want  the  same  thing  —  a  New  Day. 

Our  special  interest  lies  in  an  answer  to  the  question, 
What  does  the  New  Day  mean  for  the  people  on  the 
land,  for  the  farmers  of  the  world?  Do  they  share 
the  vision  and  can  they  help  build  the  new  society? 
To  answer  this  question  we  must  first  try  to  discover 


22     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


THE    SPIRIT    OF    THE    NEW    DAY 

One  approaches  such  a  subject  with  caution,  for  each 
person  who  tries  to  understand  for  himself  the  mean- 
ing of  the  new  time  will,  of  course,  come  to  a  point 
of  view  a  little  different  from  that  of  any  one  else,  and 
will  moreover  express  his  views  somewhat  differently. 
When  one  is  dealing  with  so  big  a  thing  as  the  rebuild- 
ing of  human  society,  it  becomes  almost  foolish  to 
prophesy.  Great  currents  are  sweeping  us  on.  We 
cannot  control  them  and  we  are  not  even  sure  where 
they  are  taking  us.  Their  direction  may  change  over- 
night; because  for  a  long  time  after  peace  comes,  hu- 
man society  will  be  subject  to  volcanic  disturbances 
that  may  change  the  entire  face  of  the  earth.  But  even 
if  we  cannot  tell  just  what  is  going  to  happen,  we 
may  with  some  measure  of  confidence  describe  the  great 
hope  and  the  great  faith  in  the  new  spirit  that  will 
animate  human  affairs  when  once  more  the  efforts 
of  men  can  be  used  for  construction  instead  of  for 
destruction.  There  are  at  least  four  big  items  that 
seem  to  stand  out  as  parts  of  the  spirit  of  the  New 
Day. 

I.  In  General,  a  Far  Better  Chance  for  the  "  Com- 
mon Man."  It  is  one  of  the  strangest  perversities  of 
our  human  nature  that  the  very  thing  that  spurs  us  on 
to  achievement  may  be  the  thing  that  becomes  the  great- 
est obstacle  to  true  progress.  The  desire  to  advance, 
to  achieve,  is  for  all  practical  purposes  an  ambition 
to  excel.  One  of  the  mainsprings  of  progress  has  been 
just  the  intense  desire  to  excel  others.  We  admire  the 
driving  power  of  such  desire;  we  despise  the  person 
who  "  doesn't  want  to  get  ahead,"  who  "  lacks  ambi- 
tion."     Yet  this  trait  of  ambition  has  led  to  preroga- 


CHALLENGE  OF  NEW  DAY  23 

tive,  to  privilege,  to  glorifying  the  power  of  the  strong. 
It  has  classified  the  masses  of  humankind  as  the  "  com- 
mon people  " —  presumably  the  others  are  the  "  un- 
common people  "  ! 

Nobody  really  fails  to  understand  that  there  are  wide 
differences  in  the  capacities  of  men.  Some  of  us  have 
had  to  discover  with  sorrow  and  keen  regret  that  we 
must  work  under  many  limitations  —  limitations  that 
some  others  do  not  seem  to  have.  We  have  to  submit 
to  the  fact  that  there  are  others  abler  and  more  com- 
petent than  ourselves.  This  elementary  lesson  of  life 
some  people  never  learn.  But  even  when  the  lesson  is 
learned,  our  minds  are  not  satisfied  with  a  situation  that 
still  persists.  After  a  time  the  abler  people,  the  strong, 
so  arranged  affairs  —  not  usually  maliciously  or  even 
always  consciously  —  but  actually  arrange  affairs  so 
that  it  becomes  increasingly  easy  for  the  few  to  procure 
the  things  and  the  conditions  that  all  people  aspire  to 
possess,  and  increasingly  difficult  for  the  many  even  to 
try  to  obtain  them.  The  abler  few  apparently  knew 
how  to  plan  ahead.  They  are  the  organizers  of 
schemes  and  programs.  So  long  as  the  world  goes 
forward  on  the  basis  of  each  man  for  himself,  the 
strong  push  ahead.  So  we  have  developed  leadership, 
statesmanship,  even  aristocracies.  Sometimes  these  ar- 
rangements result  from  sheer  ability,  careless  however 
of  the  interests  of  the  many.  More  often  they  are  the 
persistence  of  old  privileges  which  possibly  once  were 
earned,  but  which  have  been  passed  on  to  those  who 
had  no  part  in  deserving  them.  But  the  rest  of  us  — 
the  common  people  —  have  grown  more  and  more  im- 
patient of  such  arrangements.  The  great,  fundamen- 
tal, abiding  promise  of  the  New  Day  is  that  future 
arrangements  among  men,  alike  in  respect  to  work,  to 


24    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

government,  and  to  the  conditions  of  living,  will  have 
regard  primarily,  not  incidentally  or  accidentally,  to 
the  common  man,  to  the  great  masses  of  men  and 
women.  They  are  to  have  in  vastly  enlarged  measure 
the  opportunities  for  comfort  and  happiness  and  re- 
warding labor  and  growth  of  mind  and  heart,  that 
have  to  so  great  an  extent  been  the  privilege  of  the 
few. 

2.  Planning  a  Civilization.  The  very  fact  that  the 
work  of  the  world  has  been  done  on  the  basis  of  indi- 
vidual interest,  has  led  to  a  certain  measure  of  drifting 
or  chance  development.  One  might,  of  course,  be  led 
to  make  this  statement  too  strong,  for  there  has  been 
a  vast  deal  of  planning.  Perhaps  the  best  single  test 
of  an  efficient  civilization  is  the  ability  of  men  and 
women  to  plan  how  they  will  work  and  live  together; 
what  their  great  objectives  are  to  be  and  how  they  can 
best  be  attained.  In  the  past  this  planning  has  been 
done  largely  by  the  few,  and  in  the  interests  of  the  few. 
Plans  for  the  many  have  as  a  whole  been  made  with- 
out their  assent,  and  not  always  in  their  interest.  The 
spirit  of  the  New  Day  will  call  for  a  better  and  bigger 
plan  of  work  and  life  for  all  men  in  the  interest  of  all 
alike. 

3.  Reconciling  Efficiency  and  Freedom.  The  idea 
of  efficiency  has  come  to  stay.  Wasted  effort,  wasted 
resources,  wasted  time  are  immoral,  "  dead  wrong." 
The  spirit  of  the  New  Day  demands  from  each  person, 
from  each  working  group  or  class,  from  each  social 
institution  its  utmost  effectiveness  and  largest  exer- 
cise of  capacity.  At  this  point,  we  are  obliged  to  learn 
from  Germany;  to  fail  to  do  so  would  be  foolish.  For 
Germany,  beyond  any  other  nation,  has  learned  to 
make  a  plan  for  the  work  and  life  of  her  people  that 


CHALLENGE  OF  NEW  DAY  25 

makes  their  combined  effort  most  effective  toward 
whatever  end  or  purpose  she  has  in  mind.  The  Ger- 
man plan  fails  to  meet  the  test  that  will  be  imposed 
by  an  American,  and  in  the  long  run  the  best  interests 
of  her  own  people,  because  the  plans  are  made  and 
executed  for  and  not  by  the  many.  They  are  superim- 
posed by  supermen  upon  those  below.  The  true  demo- 
crat will  not  despise  wise  leadership  —  more  of  that 
later.  But  men  will  be  free.  There  is  a  growing 
conviction  among  thoughtful  people  that  perhaps  the 
biggest  single  task  of  the  New  Day  is  to  secure  the  full 
efficiency  of  men  and  peoples,  while  conserving  their 
liberty,  their  initiative,  their  private  power  to  think 
and  plan  and  do. 

4.  Duties  as  well  as  Rights  Are  to  be  Emphasized 
and  even  Enforced.  The  common  man  has  thus  far 
made  his  fight  for  opportunity  largely  on  the  basis  of 
justice.  He  has  claimed  that  he  has  not  had  his 
"  rights."  He  has  antagonized  the  so-called  "  rights  " 
of  the  privileged  classes  because  he  believed  that  these 
rights  created  great  wrongs.  Now  the  spirit  of  the 
New  Day  is  a  spirit  of  righteousness  —  rightness.  It 
holds  that  the  great  test  of  all  human  endeavor  is 
whether  or  not  it  is  right.  The  moral  not  the  economic 
method  and  result  is  after  all  the  big  thing.  The 
struggle  for  the  rights  of  the  common  man  is  there- 
fore a  legitimate  struggle.  If  he  cannot  secure  his 
rights,  he  cannot  be  free,  and  if  he  cannot  be  free,  he 
cannot  grow  to  the  full  stature  of  a  man.  Now  the 
common  people  gladly  receive  this  doctrine  when  it 
applies  to  their  own  rights.  This  is  natural,  for  they 
feel  and  on  the  whole  have  a  right  to  feel  that  their 
rights  have  been  denied  them.  They  believe  that  the 
struggle  for  their  rights  is  a  righteous  struggle. 


26    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

But  the  spirit  of  the  New  Day  also  demands  that  to 
insist  upon  rights  alone  is  not  enough.  We  all  agree 
that  to  grant  our  own  rights  is  the  duty  of  other  people, 
but  we  must  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  others  have 
rights  which  it  may  be  our  duty  to  grant.  It  has  been 
said  by  a  wise  American  economist,  Thomas  N.  Carver, 
that  "  my  rights  are  your  duties,  and  my  duties  are 
your  rights."  These  two  must  then  be  married;  they 
belong  together  by  divine  fiat.  The  spirit  of  the  New 
Day,  calmer  than  the  spirit  of  battling  men,  insists  that 
duty  and  right  cannot  be  divided.  They  act  and  react 
upon  each  other.  The  fight  for  rights  has  an  incom- 
plete justification  unless  it  is  accompanied  by  a  recog- 
nition of  obligations.  Not  only  so,  but  the  spirit  of 
the  New  Day  urges  that  ultimately  the  victory  for 
rights  is  fully  won  only  by  those  who  fulfill  their  duty. 
This  is  merely  a  modern  interpretation  of  the  old 
truth  that  "  he  who  would  save  his  life  must  lose  it  "; 
"  he  that  would  be  first  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
servant."  The  magic  word  "  service  "  is  the  key- 
stone in  the  arch  of  the  new  social  structure.  If  each 
man,  each  class  of  workers,  each  country  could  con- 
tribute to  the  common  good  its  full  measure  of  service, 
the  rights  of  them  all  would  be  safe. 

The  spirit  of  the  New  Day  then  seems  to  call  for  ( i ) 
a  far  better  chance  for  the  common  man;  (2)  the  in- 
telligent planning  of  human  progress;  (3)  a  recon- 
ciliation between  organized  effectiveness  in  human  work 
and  life  that  also  leaves  individuals  and  classes  truly 
free;  (4)  an  insistence  upon  service  to  fellow  men  as 
the  great  motive  in  life,  believing  that  thus  social  jus- 
tice can  best  prevail. 


CHALLENGE  OF  NEW  DAY  27 


THE    CHALLENGE    TO    THE    FARMER 

Do  these  great  ideals  call  to  the  men  who  are  on 
the  land?  If  they  do,  how  may  they  be  interpreted  in 
terms  of  the  work  and  life  of  the  people  who  farm? 
This  interpretation  makes  a  challenge  to  the  mind  and 
heart  of  every  farmer.     What  is  the  challenge? 

i.  That  the  farmer's  duty  is  to  help  feed  and  clothe 
the  world.  He  is  designated  by  society  as  the  steward 
of  the  soil.  He  is  the  keeper  of  the  land  —  the  most 
precious  material  resource  of  humanity.  He  owns 
or  controls  the  land  on  terms  which  society  as  a  whole 
rightfully  prescribes.  He  has  no  right  to  use  the  land 
merely  for  his  own  immediate  benefit.  He  has  no  right 
to  deplete  its  fertility;  the  land  will  be  needed,  sorely 
needed,  ages  after  he  has  lived  out  his  brief  span.  He 
did  not  put  into  the  soil  its  nitrogen,  nor  its  potash, 
nor  its  phosphoric  acid.  He  does  not  make  the  rain  — 
the  former  and  the  latter  rain,  nor  the  sunshine  and 
heat  of  summer,  nor  the  busy  bacteria  which  work 
among  the  grains  of  soil.  He  may  plant,  but  God 
giveth  the  increase.  He  is  merely  God's  tool.  His 
human  instrument,  in  feeding  a  hungry  world.  The 
farmer  has  a  solemn,  unescapable  obligation  to  his 
fellow  men  —  to  use  every  acre  under  his  control  to 
its  fullest  safe  capacity  for  producing  food  for  those 
who  cannot  produce  it  for  themselves. 

2.  That  the  farming  group,  like  other  groups,  shall 
have  a  fair  reward  for  its  labor.  The  world  has  not 
as  yet  been  able  to  decide  what  forms  the  basis  for  a 
"  fair  "  reward.  Heretofore  reward  has  been  largely 
a  matter  of  taking  what  toll  one  can  get  as  the  goods 
or  service  pass  through  the  hopper  of  personal  or  cor- 
porate control.      Competition  in  efficiency,  demand  and 


28    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

supply  have  been  the  rough  measures  by  which  reward 
was  linally  determined.  That  this  process  will  con- 
tinue there  is  little  doubt,  but  it  will  take  on  at  least 
one  new  aspect.  The  quest  for  efficiency  will  not  be 
left  to  the  individual  alone,  but  efficiency  will  be  re- 
garded as  a  social  duty,  a  thing  in  which  society  as  a 
whole  is  profoundly  interested.  How  to  make  each 
man  as  efficient  as  he  can  be  made,  is  going  to  be  the 
great  business  of  society.  All  the  elements  of  effi- 
ciency—  health,  skill,  intelligence,  ambition,  and  incen- 
tive of  reward  —  will  be  recognized.  Furthermore, 
it  will  be  found  that  efficiency  must  be  defined.  It  is 
possible  to  have  cheap  goods  made  by  cheap  men.  But 
men  are  of  more  consequence  than  materials.  So  with 
the  farmer.  He  must  make  himself  as  efficient  as  pos- 
sible. The  best  possible  instrumentalities  of  educa- 
tion must  be  placed  at  his  disposal  by  a  society  that  is 
vitally  interested  in  his  efficiency.  But  society  will  in- 
sist also  that  the  whole  scheme  of  things  shall  be  such 
that  each  farmer  may  have  a  decent  living.  If  the 
farmers  as  a  class  cannot  have  a  reasonable  profit,  they 
cannot  farm;  and  if  they  do  not  farm,  society  will  not 
obtain  the  food  it  needs.  We  are  not  discussing  just 
here  the  methods  or  amounts  of  rewards;  we  are  sim- 
ply trying  to  make  clear  that  the  permanent  service  of 
the  farmer  to  society  cannot  be  fulfilled  unless  he  can 
be  assured  a  reasonable  income  for  his  effort.  He  has 
a  right  to  assert  his  right  to  a  fair  reward. 

3.  That  the  farmers,  like  other  groups,  must  or- 
ganize in  order  to  meet  world  situations,  but  organize 
in  such  a  way  that  the  farmer  as  an  individual  retains 
his  freedom.  A  plan  for  building  up  the  business  of 
agriculture  must  be  developed.  An  agricultural  policy 
and  a  definite  program  of  operations  must  be  evolved. 


CHALLENGE  OF  NEW  DAY  29 

There  must  be  no  longer  a  mere  drift  into  activities. 
Statesmen  must  be  made  to  see  the  significance  of  agri- 
culture in  the  national  economy  and  even  in  the  mutual 
interchange  of  different  nations.  Adequate  machinery 
of  government  must  be  made  available  for  aid  to  the 
big  agricultural  enterprises.  Collective  action  of  farm- 
ers must  replace  the  futile  aims  of  single  handed  en- 
deavor. Leaders,  equal  to  every  demand  of  the  New 
Day,  must  spring  from  the  loins  of  the  farmers  them- 
selves. 

4.  That  the  farmer  shall  have  his  proper  place  in 
the  new  democratic  society.  But  let  it  be  understood 
that  farmers  cannot  take  their  rightful  place  in  national 
or  in  world  councils  unless  they  make  the  place  for 
themselves.  It  is  far  from  a  mere  matter  of  aggres- 
siveness due  to  powerful  group  associations  or  wordy 
assertions.  They  must  have  something  to  contribute. 
The  farmers  must  make  clear  to  themselves  what 
democracy  really  is,  how  they  can  best  fit  into  it,  what 
are  their  relations  to  the  rest  of  society,  what  are  their 
particular  rights  and  their  peculiar  duties;  they  must 
be  able  to  express  all  these  things  to  themselves  and  to 
others. 

These  items  then  constitute  the  challenge  to  the 
farmer  which  comes  out  of  the  New  Day:  (i)  That 
his  task  is  to  feed  the  world;  (2)  that  in  doing  it  he 
must  have  a  fair  profit;  (3)  that  he  must  organize  his 
forces  both  for  his  own  interest  and  in  society's  interest; 
and  (4)  that  he  must  have  his  due  place  in  the  new, 
democracy. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  RURAL  PROBLEM 

If,  in  a  group  of  one  hundred  men  and  women,  com- 
posed of  leaders  in  rural  affairs  —  officers  in  farmers' 
organizations,  rural  school  supervisors,  directors  of 
agricultural  experiment  stations,  deans  of  agricultural 
colleges,  government  agricultural  officials  —  one  were 
to  ask  each  person  the  question,  "  What  is  the  rural 
problem?"  it  is  probable  that  there  would  be  no  uni- 
formity of  reply.  Each  answer  would  in  a  large  meas- 
ure be  influenced  by  the  particular  work  the  individual 
had  in  hand,  or  special  difficulties  which  he  had  en- 
countered. A  few  years  ago  an  official  of  high  stand- 
ing in  the  government  said  that  the  rural  problem  in 
America  was  "  better  farming."  James  J.  Hill,  a  man 
of  masterful  mind,  concluded  apparently  that  to  in- 
crease the  production  per  acre  was  the  main  need  of 
our  farming. 

There  is,  however,  no  one  part  of  the  rural  question 
that  overtops  all  others.  Rural  improvement  consists 
of  many  elements,  all  closely  bound  together,  each  af- 
fecting and  influenced  by  the  others.  We  must  try  to 
see  the  rural  problem  as  a  whole.  Some  years  ago  in 
Ireland,  Sir  Horace  Plunkett  announced  a  slogan  that 
helps  us  to  see  that  the  problem  of  the  farmer  is  big- 
ger than  any  one  difficulty  or  need  of  improvement: 
"  Better  farming,  better  business,  better  living."  It 
might  be  a  little  clearer  though  perhaps  no  stronger  if 

30 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  31 

it  read,  Better  farm  practice,  better  farm  business,  bet- 
ter farm  life.  Do  we  not  find  at  least  these  three  great 
classes  of  problems  in  every  farming  community  in  the 
land?  The  farmer  must  produce  in  the  most  slcillful 
way,  with  the  least  possible  expenditure  for  materials 
and  labor,  and  with  the  aim  of  securing  as  large  a 
yield  of  high  grade  products  as  possible.  When  he 
sells  his  products  to  buy  his  requirements,  he  confronts 
an  entirely  new  set  of  problems.  Then,  even  if  he 
makes  a  fair  profit  out  of  his  producing  and  his  selling, 
what  is  the  real  gain  unless  he  and  his  family  can  and 
do  have  a  satisfying  life  as  members  of  their  neighbor- 
hood? 

A    NEW^   APPROACH    NECESSARY 

We  have  heretofore  approached  the  farm  business 
from  the  standpoint  of  production.  We  have  been 
asked.  What  can  farmers  produce?  We  must  face 
about  and  begin  the  discussion  of  problems  with  the 
query,  What  do  consumers  want?  'T'his  will  be  a  hard 
saying  to  many  men,  but  it  is  the  beginning  of  the  new 
wisdom  about  our  agriculture.  We  have  said  to  farm- 
ers "  Produce,  produce,  produce !  "  We  have  given 
away  land  by  the  million  acres  in  order  to  stimulate 
production.  Men  purporting  to  speak  for  farmers 
have  even  said:  "Why  worry  about  the  consumer? 
He  will  take  care  of  himself.  Let  us  take  care  of  the 
farmer."  Agricultural  colleges  have  experimented 
and  taught  and  advised  concerning  production.  But 
for  years  past,  any  farmer  would  tell  you  that  his  big 
problem  was  not  one  of  production,  but  of  selling  to 
advantage.  The  war  has  taught  us  that  the  task  of  the 
farmer  is  to  grow  food  and  other  soil-grown  materials 
for  the  rest  of  the  people.     The  reasoning  is  plain. 


32    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

The  farmer  grows  wheat.  Why?  To  sell  it,  of  course. 
To  whom  will  he  sell  it?  Always  to  the  people  who 
eat  bread  and  who  can't  produce  wheat.  If  the  farmer 
does  not  produce  enough,  prices  will  be  so  high  that 
consumers  can't  have  what  they  need.  If  farmers 
produce  too  much,  prices  will  be  so  low  that  farmers 
cannot  afford  to  grow.  If  the  world  needs  four  billion 
bushels  of  wheat,  the  farmer's  task  is  to  produce  ex- 
actly that  amount,  at  as  low  a  cost  of  production  as 
possible,  with  a  fair  profit  for  his  toil.  This  arrange- 
ment cannot  be  achieved  completely  in  practice;  but 
it  is  the  big  thing  to  try  for.  We  must  think  then  of 
farming  as  mainly  an  effort  to  supply  the  demand  for 
food. 

We  now  begin  at  the  other  end  —  the  wrong  end. 
But  we  must  find  out  what  the  folks  of  the  world 
want  to  eat,  where  they  want  it,  in  what  form  they  want 
it  and  when  they  want  it.  The  farmers  must  then  un- 
dertake to  meet  these  wants.  In  the  New  Day,  the 
prime  condition  of  the  farmer's  success  consists  in 
relating  his  work  to  the  whole  program  of  food  supply. 
It  is  legitimate  for  him  to  try  to  change  consumption; 
he  may  seek  to  persuade  consumers  to  increase  the  use 
of  certain  products,  to  purchase  the  better  and  more 
expensive  grades,  to  buy  home  grown  products,  etc. 
But  the  great  currents  of  food  demand  determine  the 
farmer's  task.  Of  course,  we  must  add  to  "  food  " 
all  other  products  grown  from  the  soil,  including  ani- 
mal feeds  such  as  hay  and  other  forage;  materials  for 
clothing  and  other  fibers  such  as  cotton,  wool,  hemp 
and  flax.  Taken  together,  these  other  products  repre- 
sent a  very  considerable  proportion  of  the  agricultural 
industry.  Hence  for  example,  in  19 14,  while  the  wheat 
crop  of  the  United  States  was  worth  $878,680,000, 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  33 

the  cotton  crop  was  worth  $591,130,000  and  the  hay 
crop  $546,492,400. 

AN    OUTLINE    OF    THE    FOOD   AND    FEED    PROBLEM  ^ 

This  necessity  of  relating  the  farmer's  work  to  the 
food  supply  is  so  fundamental  that  it  is  worth  while 
to  take  space  to  make  an  outline  of  the  entire  problem, 
of  food  supply,  in  order  that  we  may  see  the  more 
clearly  where  the  farmer's  job  begins  and  ends. 

THE  FOOD  AND  FEED  SUPPLY  PROBLEM 

(for   any  region  —  LOCAL,    STATE,   COUNTRY   OR  WORLD) 
Food  Requirements 

Kinds  and  amounts  of  normal  demand 
Grain  and  grain  products 
Meat  and  meat  products 
Dairy  products 

Vegetables  and  vegetable  products 
Poultry  and  eggs 
Fruits  and  nuts 
Sea  food 
Food  Resources 

Land:  Tilled;  tillable  but  unimproved;  wet,  arid  and  cut 

over 
Labor:    Family;  hired 
Equipment:    Buildings ;  machinery 

Fertilizers :     Commercial  —  kinds ;    amounts ;    sources  — 
barnyard 
Food  Production 
Present 

Human  food  —  kinds  and  amounts 
Grown 

1  This  outline  is  adapted  from  one  made  by  Miss  Lorian  P.  Jefferson 
from  suggestions  furnished  by  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Agricultural  College  together  with  a  most  admirable  food  supply 
chart  prepared  by  the  Food  Problem  Committee  of  the  Merchants 
Association  of  New  York  City. 


34    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Food  Production  —  continued 

Marketed 
/  Purchased 
Animal  feed  —  kinds  and  amounts 

Grown 

Marketed 

Purchased 
Economic  (desirable  substitutions) 
Kinds 
Quantities 
Nutritive  values 
Prices  or  costs 
Suggested  changes 

Better  farm  management  as  to 

Competing  crops 

Competing  crop  areas 

Markets 
Community  organization 

For  production 

For  farm  business 

( 1 )  Purchase 

(2)  Sale 
For  use  of  labor 
For  credit 

Provision  for  seeds,  fertilizers,  machinery 
Insurance  facilities 
Credit  facilities 
Legislation  as  to 

Marketing 

Land  transfers 

Leases 

Protection  of  stock,  etc,  etc. 
Economics  of  production 
Food  versus  feed 

Live  stock  versus  grain,  vegetables,  etc. 
Labor   for   agricultural   production  versus   labor  for 
industry 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  35 

Transportation  of  food  versus  transportation  of  feed. 
Food  essentials  versus  non-essentials  in  agriculture 
Comparative  costs,  by  regions 
Food  Distribution 

Exports  and  imports 
Transportation  agencies 
Railroads 
Ship  lines 
Trolley  lines 
Trucks 
Express 
Parcel  post 
Local  food  movements 
Storage 
Farm 

Commercial 
Household 
Standardization  of  grades  and  packages 
Collective  preparation 
Bargafnmg:    Individual;  collective 
City  marketing 
Public  markets 

Prices:   Determination;  publication 
Prevention  of  waste  and  spoilage 
Assistance  in  marketing:    Marketing  agents;  market  news 

service 
Inspection 
Food  Conservation 
Commercial 

Manufacture 

Vegetable  products 
Meat  products 
Fish  products 
Fruit  products 
Culls,  seconds,  surplus 
Wastes 
Preparation 
iiakeries 


36    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Food  Conservation  —  continued 
Delicatessen 
Hotels  and  restaurants 
Storage 
Wastes 

Variety 
Servings 
Home  and  Commercial 
Preservation 
Canning 
Drying 
Pickling 
Salting 
Smoking 
Home 

Storage 
Cellar 
Pit 

Pantry 
Wastes 
Table 
Market 
Farm 

Diseases:     Plant  and  animal 
Pests:    Insects  and  weeds 
Wastes  through 
Rats  and  mice 
Improper  curing 
Improper  threshing 
Careless  handling 
Shrinkage 
Garden  wastes 
Skim  milk  wasted 
Methods  of  control 
Transportation 
Faulty  icing 
Improper  heating 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  37 


Poor  care 
Dela>s  in  transit 
Overloading 
Underloading 
Duplication  of  delivery 
Shrinkage  in  transit 
Dining  car  service 

Preparation 

Storage 

Servings 
Food  Use  —  Home  and  Hotel 
Nutrition 

Food  requirements 
Well  selected  diets 
Modified  diets 
Desirable  changes 

Racial  preferences 

Household 

Children 
Meals  for  large  groups 

Hotels  and  restaurants 

Public  institutions 

Camps,  etc. 
Diseases  due  to  faulty  diets 
Standards 

Suitability 
Wholesomeness 
Cleanliness 
Purity 

Labor  involved 
Relative  cost 
Marketing 
Selection 
Prices 

Market  news  service 
Storage  and  refrigeration 
Preparation 

Equipment 

•4  O  ^'  '\  ^ 


38    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Food  Use  —  Home  and  Hotel  —  continued 
Cooking 
Serving 
Wastes 

THE    farmer's    problem 

This  outline  of  the  problem  of  the  world's  food 
supply  gives  us  a  starting  point  from  which  to  discover 
the  problem  of  the  farmer.  He  is  the  supplier  of  soil 
grown  materials.  There  is  no  need  for  his  labor  un- 
less his  products  are  wanted  and  used.  The  difficulties, 
needs  and  possibilities  of  the  farmer's  occupation  arise 
from  his  effort  to  supply  the  world's  food  and  other 
materials  immediately  dependent  upon  the  soil.  So- 
ciety needs  things  that  can  be  secured  only  through  the 
use  of  the  soil.  The  man  who  uses  the  soil  to  meet 
this  need  is  the  farmer.  If  we  could  treat  the  farms 
of  the  world  as  one  big  farm,  we  would  first  discover 
the  food  needs  to  be  met  by  what  the  soil  can  produce. 
The  fundamental  question  in  agriculture  is,  "  What 
special  needs,  difficulties,  and  possibilities  does  the 
farmer  face  as  he  seeks  to  become  most  effective  in  this 
task  of  supplying  the  world's  food^  " 

Before  proceeding,  it  might  be^wise  to  state  that  in 
this  book  the  words  agriculture  or  farming  are  used  to 
mean  the  industry  or  occupation  of  growing  things 
from  the  soil,  both  plants  and  animals;  country  life  or 
farm  life  includes  the  so-called  social  aspects  of  agricul- 
ture, that  is,  the  things  that  affect  the  welfare  of  people 
that  live  together  in  the  country,  such  as  education, 
recreation,  health;  rural  is  used  for  the  whole  range  of 
interests  attached  to  farmers  and  farming  as  over 
against  the  city  or  urban  interests. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  discuss  the  spe- 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  39 

cific  methods  by  which  the  needs  and  difficulties  of 
farmers  may  be  met.  While  such  a  discussion  is  of  the 
utmost  practical  importance,  it  must  be  left  to  an- 
other time  or  to  another  pen.  The  matter  of  most 
immediate  consequence  is  to  discover  if  possible  what 
the  farmer's  problems  are.  We  want  first  to  map  out, 
as  it  were,  the  geography  of  the  farmer's  job.  It  is 
recognized  that  a  mere  outline  of  the  problem  does  not 
get  us  very  far  with  respect  to  what  might  be  called 
practical  methods  of  farm  improvement.  Those  prac- 
tical methods,  however,  are  pretty  widely  known  among 
farmers  and  there  are  whole  libraries  written  about 
them.  What  is  more  important  just  at  this  stage  in  the 
development  of  our  American  agriculture  is,  first  of  all, 
to  get  a  picture  of  the  entire  problem,  if  we  can,  for 
the  reason  that  heretofore  nearly  all  discussions  of 
agricultural  questions  have  dealt  with  but  a  part  of  the 
problem.  Usually  emphasis  is  placed  upon  greater 
crops,  or  collective  bargaining,  or  control  of  trans- 
portation by  the  government,  as  if  these  were  the  chief 
or  even  the  sole  methods  of  improvement,  whereas  we 
can  advance  agriculture  only  as  we  develop  system- 
atically and  constantly  all  along  the  line.  Moreover, 
the  principal  reason  for  writing  this  book  is  not  to  call 
attention  to  detailed  methods  of  procedure,  but  to  cer- 
tain large  principles  that  need  to  be  applied  in  a  states- 
manlike fashion;  details  will  follow.  It  Is  therefore 
hoped  that  this  outline,  fragmentary  as  it  is,  will  serve 
Its  purpose  In  laying  before  the  reader  the  breadth, 
the  scope,  and  the  significance  of  the  farmer's  problem. 
These  problems  may  be  grouped  somewhat  as  fol- 
lows: 


40    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

I.       THE    PROBLEMS   OF    RURAL    IMPROVEMENT 

1.  In  methods  of  controlling  the  necessary  forces 
and  materials  of  production. 

2.  In  farm  practice,  or  the  production  of  crops  and 
animals. 

3.  In  methods  of  farm  management  and  farm  busi- 
ness. 

4.  In  methods  of  farm  organization. 

5.  In  farm  life. 

n.       SOME    NECESSARY    ADJUSTMENTS 

1.  Among  the  farmers  themselves. 

2.  Between  the  interests  of  farmers  and  others. 

1.      THE    PROBLEM   OF   THE   BETTER   CONTROL  OF  THE 

NECESSARY    FORCES    AND    MATERIALS    FOR 

PRODUCTION 

1.  The  Control  of  the  Land  Itself.  Land  owner- 
ship gives  the  most  complete  control.  The  retired 
farmer  has  less  control  than  the  owner  who  works  his 
own  farm.  The  absentee  landlord  has  only  a  mini- 
mum of  actual  control.  Land  may  be  owned  by  the 
state  and  leased  to  the  men  who  work  it.  We  must 
learn  very  soon  what  on  the  whole  is  the  best  method 
of  land  control  in  order  that  both  farmers  and  con- 
sumers may  have  the  largest  possible  benefits. 

2.  Land  Acquirement.  Farmers  in  America  for- 
merly got  their  land  from  the  government.  This  is  no 
longer  true  to  any  large  degree.  It  Is  coming  to  be 
difficult  for  the  young  farmer  to  acquire  a  farm.  Only 
two  solutions  arc  apparent.  One  is  for  the  govern- 
ment itself  to  purchase  land  and  sell  it  to  new  owners  in- 
dividually or  in  colonics  with  liberal  credit  and  easy 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  41 

payments;  or  for  large  groups  to  do  the  same  thing, 
either  as  private  corporations  for  gain  or  cooperative 
land  societies. 

3.  Land  Rental.  Rental  under  right  conditions  may 
secure  very  effective  use  of  the  land.  Tenant  farming 
does  not  tend  as  a  rule  toward  building  up  permanent 
farm  community  interests.  Very  short  leases  are  disas- 
trous both  to  farming  and  to  country  life.  Permanent 
tenure  can  be  made  satisfactory  only  when  the  tenant 
is  given  a  share  in  permanent  improvements. 

4.  The  Control  of  Capital.  Need  for  capital  in 
farming  is  rapidly  increasing  because  of  increased  cost 
of  land,  need  of  land  improvements  by  drainage,  etc., 
larger  need  for  machinery  and  other  equipment,  higher 
cost  of  labor.  The  farmer  needs  both  long  term 
credit  and  short  term  credit,  the  one  for  land  purchase 
and  permanent  improvements,  and  the  other  in  order 
to  take  advantage  of  better  terms  in  securing  his  sup- 
ply of  seeds,  fertilizer,  feeds.  Mercantile  or  store 
credit  is  very  costly  in  interest  and  should  be  abolished. 
One  difficulty  in  securing  credit  for  farmers  is  that  the 
American  farmer  is  as  a  rule  unwilling  to  become  a 
party  to  a  plan  whereby  the  farmers  of  a  community 
collectively  become  responsible  for  the  debts  of  the  in- 
dividuals of  the  community.  Farmers  have  collectively 
enormous  assets  which  ou^^ht  to  be  made  available  for 
each  worthy  member  of  the  partnership. 

5.  Control  of  the  Labor  Supply.  The  farmer  has 
to  compete  now-a-days  with  industry  for  his  labor,  in 
the  matter  of  wages,  housing,  hours.  One  of  the  big- 
gest problems  of  the  future  lies  in  answering  such  ques- 
tions as  how  to  keep  labor  employed  throughout  the 
year;  how  to  educate  the  laborer  so  that  he  becomes  a 
skilled   farmer;   whether   women   in   America   will   do 


42    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

more  farm  work  than  formerly;  how  to  use  boy  labor 
without  sacrifice  of  education;  the  relations  of  farmers 
to  farm  labor  organizations;  and  how  to  encourage 
the  farm  laborer  to  become  eventually  a  farm  owner. 

6.  The  Control  of  Materials  and  Power.  Com- 
mercial interests  have  served  the  farmer  reasonably 
well  in  supplying  seeds,  fertilizer,  stock  feeds,  machin- 
ery, but  only  to  a  small  extent  in  supplying  power.  The 
government  will  probably  have  to  intervene  in  es- 
tablishing a  democratic  use  of  water  power  for  the 
making  of  electricity.  Farmers,  however,  will  need 
to  cooperate  much  more  freely  than  now  in  the  pur- 
chase of  power,  as  well  as  of  their  other  supplies. 

II.       THE   PROBLEM  OF   IMPROVEMENT  OF   FARM  PRAC- 
TICE, OR  THE  PRODUCTION  OF   CROPS 
AND  ANIMALS 

1.  Improvement  of  the  Soil.  This  means  securing 
greater  depth  of  soil;  more  complete  friability;  more 
adequate  control  of  water  in  the  soil;  proper  adapta- 
tion of  special  crops  to  special  soils;  prevention  of  plant 
food  waste  and  erosion;  and  in  general,  the  question 
of  permanent  fertility. 

2.  The  Imprm-cmcnt  of  Crops,  by  getting  the  great- 
est possible  yields;  improving  the  quality  and  food  or 
feed  value;  securing  disease  and  drouth  resistant  vari- 
eties. 

3.  The  Improvement  of  Animals  in  size,  quality, 
temperament,  healthiness,  etc. 

III.       IMPROVEMENTS  IN  FARM  MANAGEMENT  AND 
FARM    BUSINESS 

I.  The  Purchase  of  Supplies.  It  is  only  by  col- 
lective or  cooperative  purchase  of  supplies  and  equip- 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  43 

ment  that  farmers  can  get  the  best  prices  and  terms. 
So  long  as  the  individual  farmer  buys  his  supplies  at  a 
disadvantage,  he  is  economically  handicapped. 

2.  Standardizing  the  Product.  The  greatest  single 
difficulty  which  the  individual  farmer  faces  is  due  in 
part  to  the  wide  variety  of  crops  grown  in  a  given 
locality  and  to  a  great  variation  in  quality.  The  rem- 
edy in  general  lies  in  inducing  farm  communities  to 
produce  fewer  things,  to  produce  those  for  which  the 
region  is  particularly  adapted,  and  then  through  co- 
operation, to  secure  proper  grading,  careful  and  honest 
packing,  and  wherever  feasible,  proper  labeling. 

3.  In  the  Transportation  of  Products.  Good  roads 
and  the  motor  truck  will  play  a  rapidly  increasing  part 
in  initial  transportation.  Rural  trolleys  will  help  to 
a  growing  extent.  The  main  dependence  for  standard 
crops  is  the  railway  system.  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant reforms  is  the  adjustment  of  freight  rates  as 
between  the  long  haul  and  the  short  haul  in  order  that 
both  the  distant  producer  and  the  nearby  farmer  may 
both  have  substantial  justice, 

4.  The  Problem  of  Storage.  The  purpose  of  stor- 
age is  to  keep  such  part  of  the  product  as  is  not  im- 
mediately necessary,  until  it  is  needed  by  the  consumer. 
The  farmer  believes,  and  probably  with  reason,  that 
those  who  control  storage  facilities  exact  unfair  toll 
from  the  farmer.  The  difficulty  lies  less  in  dishon- 
esty than  in  the  fact  that  the  whole  system  is  purely  a 
profit  making  affair.  The  storage  system  should  be 
organized  and  controlled  as  primarily  a  method  of 
relating  supply  and  demand. 

5.  The  Selling  of  Crops.  In  case  of  fruits,  vege- 
tables, and  poultry  products,  producer  and  consumer 
may  be  brought  together  face  to  face  in  public  or  com- 


44    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

munity  markets  where  they  may  make  their  bargain. 
For  most  crops,  the  middleman  is  indisjrensable.  He 
should  not  be  abolished  but  redirected.  We  shall 
never  have  satisfactory  methods  of  marketing  farm 
products  until  we  have  a  thoroughly  organized  group 
of  producers,  each  group  with  its  special  product, 
dealing  directly  with  well  organized  groups  of  con- 
sumers, or  with  well  organized  groups  of  middlemen 
whose  activities  are  regulated  by  the  government  in 
the  interests  of  both  producers  and  consumers. 

6.  The  Farmer's  Interest  in  Manufacture  and  Care. 
The  conservation  and  processing  of  farm  products  has 
gone  largely  into  the  hands  of  commercial  concerns. 
The  farmer,  however,  has  a  moral  obligation  to  elim- 
inate all  wastes  on  the  farm  itself.  Community  enter- 
prises looking  toward  the  manufacture  or  preservation 
of  certain  products,  both  for  use  in  the  community  itself 
and  as  a  business  venture,  will  probably  increase. 
There  is  a  vast  waste  in  double  transportation;  for 
example,  wheat  is  shipped  one  thousand  miles  for  mill- 
ing and  the  flour  is  brought  back  to  the  farm  region 
where  the  wheat  was  grown. 

7.  Protection  and  Insurance.  The  farmer  wages 
a  constant  battle  against  insect  pests,  diseases  of  plants 
and  animals,  unfavorable  natural  conditions  such  as 
weeds,  flood,  drouth,  frost,  wind,  hail,  fire.  Wide- 
spread education,  mutual  insurance  and  cooperative 
action  seem  to  be  the  main  solutions.  One  of  the  big- 
gest problems  of  protection  is  whether  it  is  possible  to 
insure  the  farmers  to  some  extent  against  loss  due  to 
inadequate  knowledge  of  market  conditions,  such  as 
spoilage  in  food  products,  forced  sales  of  products 
due  to  lack  of  credit,  and  market  gluts. 

8.  The  Re-investment  of  Faryn  Profits  is  not  as  yet 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  45 

a  burning  question  but  is  not  unimportant.  Why  can 
not  farmers  utilize  their  surplus  when  they  have  it, 
for  the  building  up  of  the  community  in  which  they 
live? 

IV.      THE   PROBLEM   OF  THE   ORGANIZATION   OF  THE 

FARM 

1.  The  Farm  and  its  Equipment.  It  would  be  very 
helpful  to  have  a  standardization  of  farms  on  the  basis 
of  the  most  economic  type  and  size  of  farm  and  the 
amount  of  capital  and  equipment  in  stock  and  machin- 
ery needed  to  operate  the  farm  to  best  advantage. 

2.  The  Permanent  Improvement  of  the  Farm. 
How  can  the  farmer  best  secure  a  gradual  improve- 
ment of  his  stock,  complete  a  system  of  under  drainage, 
provide  economic  but  adequate  and  convenient  build- 
ings, and  utilize  labor-saving  devices? 

3.  Bookkeeping  and  Accounting.  There  is  great 
need  of  adequate  records  and  accounts  simplified  so  that 
the  average  farmer  can  follow  the  plan.  There  are 
really  two  problems,  one  that  of  accurate  business 
accounts  and  the  other  that  of  proper  records  which 
when  Interpreted  will  help  the  farmer  to  adjust  his 
methods  of  management  to  the  securing  of  greater 
economies  of  time  and  labor. 

4.  The  Use  of  Labor.  How  may  labor  be  secured 
at  any  price  and  how  retained?  One  of  the  big  ques- 
tions is  how  to  employ  during  the  winter  months  farm 
labor  needed  only  during  the  growing  season,  In  order 
that  labor  may  be  satisfied  and  be  available  more  con- 
tinuously for  the  farmer. 


46    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

\ 


\ 


V.      THE    IMPROVEMENT   OF    FARM   LIFE 


Means  of  Communication.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
problem  of  the  city  is  congestion  and  the  problem  of  the 
country  isolation.  In  the  city  there  are  too  many  peo- 
ple to  the  square  mile;  in  the  country  there  are  too  few. 
Rural  free  mail  delivery,  the  rural  telephone,  the  rural 
trolley,  to  a  degree,  and  the  automobile  have  quite 
changed  the  aspect  of  country  life.  The  problem  is  not 
yet  solved,  however,  the  greatest  difficulty  being  that  of 
getting  and  maintaining  at  reasonable  expense  a  com- 
plete system  of  good  highways,  that  reaches  practically 
every  farmer.  The  success  of  the  consolidated  school 
and  of  the  community  church,  as  well  as  economical 
transportation  of  farm  products,  hinge  on  this  issue. 

Home-making.  The  farm  home  is  intimately  at- 
tached to  farm  work.  It  must  contribute  to  the  profit 
of  the  farm,  to  the  physical  efficiency  of  the  members 
of  the  family,  to  the  most  complete  training  of  the  chil- 
dren in  character  and  citizenship,  and  make  itself  felt 
in  the  upbuilding  of  a  satisfying  community.  The 
farmhouse  should  be  convenient  and  beautiful  within 
and  without.  It  is  possible  to  develop  a  system  of 
home  management  that  will  reduce  drudgery  and  en- 
courage the  life  of  the  mind  and  the  spirit. 

Means  of  Education.  We  must  make  sure  that  the 
rural  school  gives  the  country  boy  and  girl  just  as  good 
an  education  for  life  either  in  country  or  in  city  as  is 
given  to  the  city  boy  and  girl.  Moreover,  the  country 
school  should  contribute  more  completely  to  the  educa- 
tion of  the  adults  of  the  community.  Ideally,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  community  will  stay  in  school  all  through  life. 
We  must  maintain  a  system  of  agricultural  education. 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  47 

through  schools  and  colleges  and  experiment  stations 
and  extension  service  and  farm  bureaus,  that  will  reach 
effectively  and  practically  the  entire  farm  population. 
We  should  develop  the  habit  of  reading  and  study  with 
a  better  system  of  rural  public  libraries.  Continuation 
schools  must  be  provided  for  the  boys  and  girls  who 
are  no  longer  all  the  time  in  school,  but  who  ought  to 
keep  up  their  schooling  much  longer  than  they  do. 
And  in  general,  we  must  stimulate  the  masses  of  farm- 
ers to  closer  study  not  only  of  their  own  problems,  but 

^  of  the  problems  of  the  New  Day. 

\  Rural  Government.  How  can  we  make  local  gov- 
ernment more  efficient,  more  honest?  Probably  we 
can  do  more  for  the  people  of  the  community  through 
the  local  machinery  of  government.  We  already  sup- 
port schools  and  build  roads.  Can  we  not  furnish 
other  facilities  of  community  life?  Can  we  not  make 
legislation,  both  in  state  and  nation,  more  in  keeping 
with  the  needs  of  rural  improvement? 

\j  Health  and  Sanitation.  We  need  a  large  program 
of  education  for  farm  people,  especially  those  in  less 
prosperous  regions,  in  the  full  meaning  of  personal  hy- 
giene, the  very  best  care  of  the  body,  the  very  best  die- 
taries, and  in  public  health,  in  order  to  stamp  out  epi- 
demics, secure  care  of  sewage,  restrict  the  spread  of 
contagious  diseases.  In  many  ways  these  things  are 
much  more  difficult  to  handle  in  the  country  than  in  the 
city. 

Recreation.  This  is  one  of  the  great  lacks  of  coun- 
try life.  We  need  a  more  adequate  play  life  for  the 
young  and  a  thoroughly  satisfying  social  life  for  the 
adults.  We  must  bring  into  the  country  some  of  those 
legitimate  opportunities  for  pleasure  that  people  of  the 


48     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

city  have.  Better  than  this,  we  would  encourage  the 
country  people  themselves  in  the  making  of  their  own 
recreation. 

Country  Planning.  The  roads,  the  buildings,  the 
village  parks,  all  of  the  material  arrangements  of  the 
country,  should  be  carefully  planned. 

•  Social  fVelfare.  There  is  need  in  the  country  as 
well  as  in  the  city  for  helpfulness  to  those  not  well  cir- 
cumstanced; the  insane,  the  feeble-minded,  the  poor, 
the  sick,  the  unfortunate.  We  can  organize  better  than 
we  have  thus  far  the  spirit  of  helpfulness.  It  is  not 
enough  that  we  have  the  neighborly  interest;  we  must 
also  have  the  skilled  aid. 

Morals  and  Religion.  How  can  we  maintain  the 
highest  and  finest  Ideals  of  personal  character  and  of 
community  life?  How  can  we  make  religion  real  In 
the  work  of  the  farm  and  In  the  living  together  of  the 
people?  How  can  we  assist  the  country  church,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Sunday  School,  to  be  of  the  largest 
possible  service  In  the  country? 

SOME    ECONOMIC   ADJUSTMENT 

We  have  outlined  the  problem  of  rural  Improvement 
in  a  most  sketchy  way  but  we  have  not  yet  quite  told  the 
whole  story.  All  that  has  gone  before  calls  for  a  cer- 
tain balancing  of  interests.  There  are  adjustments  to 
be  made  from  time  to  time.  There  are  diverse  Inter- 
ests that  have  to  be  reconciled.  We  never  can  "  solve  " 
the  farm  problems  as  problems  of  arithmetic  can  be 
solved.  In  our  search  for  constant  improvement,  we 
find  the  constant  need  of  establishing  new  relationships 
by  the  people,  of  developing  new  methods  of  doing 
business.  What  Is  right  and  fair  at  one  time  may  not 
be  right  and  fair  at  another  time  because  of  changing 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  49 

conditions.     So  let  us  consider  for  a  moment  some  of 
these  adjustments  that  the  farmers  must  recognize. 

ADJUSTMENTS    AMONG    THE    FARMERS    THEMSELVES 

We  must  secure  a  sort  of  balance  between  the  inter- 
ests of  the  individual  and  the  interests  of  the  farmers  as 
a  whole.  This,  of  course,  is  a  need  everywhere  in  the 
world.  It  is  not  by  any  means  true  that  if  each  indi- 
vidual is  left  to  follow  his  own  interests  the  interests  of 
all  will  be  gained.  This  is  simply  the  "  law  of  the 
jungle  ";  the  strong  win,  the  interests  of  the  weak  are 
over-ridden.  Perhaps  the  greatest  obstacle  to  agricul- 
tural business  cooperation  in  America  is  the  fact  that 
the  most  prosperous  and  efficient  farmers  in  the  com- 
munity do  not  see  the  need  of  pooling  their  interests; 
they  are  not  willing  to  sacrifice  a  little  for  the  sake  of 
those  who  would  be  greatly  helped  by  common  action. 

Balance  between  Sub-Industries.  When  a  new  op- 
portunity in  agriculture  shows  itself,  it  may  become  so 
popular  as  to  crowd  out  other  forms  of  production 
which  are  fully  as  essential.  Fruit  growing  in  the  irri- 
gated districts  of  the  West  not  only  encroached  upon 
fruit  growing  in  the  East,  but  hindered  the  development 
of  dairy  and  stock  farming  to  which  the  irrigated  areas 
are  peculiarly  adapted. 

Balance  between  Sectional  Interests.  One  of  the 
most  serious  of  all  rural  questions  is  the  competition  of 
regions.  The  apple  growers  of  New  England  with 
those  of  the  Pacific  Northwest;  the  vegetable  growers 
of  Florida  with  those  of  Massachusetts;  the  sugar  beet 
growers  and  the  sugar  cane  growers;  the  farmers  who 
grow  cattle  feed  in  the  Middle  West  and  the  dairymen 
of  the  East  who  have  to  buy  these  feeds.  We  find  here 
constant  need  of  establishing  fair  relationships. 


50    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Regional  Self-Support.  It  is  a  law  of  economics 'that 
the  greatest  efficiency  in  production  comes  when  each 
region  produces  that  which  //  can  best  grow,  not  neces- 
sarily that  which  it  can  grow  better  than  some  other  re- 
gion. Each  acre  of  land  should  be  put  to  the  best  use 
for  which  it  is  fitted,  considering  soil,  climate,  labor, 
and  market.  Therefore  it  is  neither  practicable  nor 
desirable  that  each  country,  or  each  state,  or  each 
county,  or  each  community,  should  grow  all  that  it  con- 
sumes. But  we  have  gone  so  far  in  producing  for  the 
distant  market  that  we  have  not  only  neglected  the 
nearby  market  which  is  often  poorly  supplied,  but  we 
have  incurred  an  enormous  expense  for  transporting 
and  handling  products  which  go  back  and  forth.  We 
need  to  establish  certain  zones  or  regions  that  up  to  a 
certain  point  can  take  care  of  themselves  with  refer- 
ence to  the  growing  of  their  food. 

The  Rural  P'illage.  There  are  perhaps  ten  million 
people  in  America  living  in  villages  that  are  set  in  a 
rural  environment.  The  people  are  not  farmers  but 
they  live  in  the  midst  of  farmers.  They  are  not  city 
people.  Their  very  existence  depends  upon  the  suc- 
cess of  the  farming  regions  around  about,  and  yet  there 
is  often  the  sharpest  antagonism  between  people  of  the 
village  and  the  people  of  the  country.  The  farmers 
believe  that  the  village  merchants  exploit  them  at  every 
opportunity.  There  is  an  odd  notion  among  the 
merchants  that  in  some  way  the  farmers  owe  them  a  liv- 
ing. This  antagonism  shows  itself  in  lack  of  social  in- 
tercourse, in  sharp  political  fights.  How  can  we  re- 
store the  balance  between  the  village,  which  includes  the 
small  "  city  "  set  in  an  agricultural  region,  and  the 
farmers  round  about?     Surely  there  is  a  way  toward 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  51 

cooperation,  a  real  community  interest.  Each  can 
help  the  other. 

Permanent  Agriculture  without  Caste.  We  have  a 
shifting  agricultural  population.  There  is  scarcely 
any  part  of  America  which  has  not  suffered  from  over- 
frequent  migration  to  the  city  or  to  other  parts  of  the 
country.  Ownership  changes  frequently.  This  imper- 
manence  is  not  true  everywhere,  but  it  is  characteristic 
of  American  agriculture.  It  cannot  result  in  the  best 
farming.  It  has  not  contributed  to  the  best  community 
life.  Leadership  is  lost;  yet  we  would  not  want  every- 
body born  in  the  country  to  stay  in  the  country.  The 
idea  of  keeping  all  the  farm  boys  on  the  farm  is  the 
poorest  policy  we  could  follow.  We  cannot  afford  to 
arrange  our  rural  education  so  that  the  boy  is  obliged 
to  stay  on  the  farm  or  go  to  the  city  handicapped  in  his 
preparation  for  life.  The  door  from  country  to  city 
must  swing  wide.  There  must  be  freedom  of  inter- 
course^between  city  and  country.  We  musTnoTTiave  a 
peasantry  —  a  rustic  group.  In  no  parts  of  our  coun- 
try must  there  be  a  possibility  of  farmers  being  looked 
down  upon  or  being  sharply  distinguished  from  other 
classes  in  any  way  that  marks  them  off  as  a  caste.  How 
then  may  we  adjust  our  modes  of  living,  our  education, 
our  country  life,  our  village  life,  so  that  we  shall  secure 
the  advantages  of  permanent  occupation  of  the  land 
without  the  disadvantages  of  a  caste  system? 

Some  Special  Problems.  There  is  no  doubt  but  the 
racial  problems  which  have  disturbed  our  country  show 
themselves  in  agriculture.  Special  groups,  such  as  the 
negro  farmer,  the  mountaineer  —  able  but  isolated,  the 
emigrant  farmer  —  sturdy  but  foreign,  must  in  some 
fashion  be  taken  into  the  common  lot.     Only  so  can  we 


52     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

have  a  real  democracy.  How  are  we  to  do  it?  There 
is  the  question  of  grades  or  strata  of  farmers.  In  al- 
most any  farm  community  we  find  a  group  of  very 
prosperous  and  successful  farmers,  men  who  we  say 
can  "  take  care  of  themselves."  Near  the  other  end  of 
the  scale  we  find  the  "  submerged  tenth,"  men  not  very 
efficient.  At  the  extreme  end  we  find  the  hundredth 
man  —  the  abandoned  farmer.  Between  these  ex- 
tremes, the  great  group  of  average  farmers.  So  we 
have  farmers  small  and  farmers  large;  farmers  wise 
and  farmers  foolish;  farmers  educated  and  farmers 
illiterate;  and  we  find  the  need  of  adjusting  our  ideas 
and  our  methods  of  living  together  so  that  as  far  as 
possible  these  walls  of  separation  may  be  broken  down. 
The  problem  becomes  a  very  interesting  and  acute  one 
in  any  farm  community  when  we  note  the  prejudices  in 
church  or  in  secret  societies,  and  how  certain  groups 
are  inevitably  excluded.  We  also  find  farmers  with 
special  difficulties;  the  man  with  the  tiny  farm,  the  land- 
less farmer,  the  laborless  farmer,  the  farmer  without 
capital,  the  farmer  in  the  depleted  rural  community  who 
would  like  to  see  a  better  day  but  is  not  hopeful  that  it 
can  be  brought  about,  and  finally  the  farm  laborer. 
Sometimes  these  matters  do  not  seem  like  "  problems  " ; 
but  are  rather  taken  for  granted.  They  are  important 
questions,  nevertheless. 

ADJUSTMENTS   BETWEEN  THE    FARMER  AND   OTHER 
INTERESTS 

The  Balance  between  Producers  and  Consumers. 
We  have  had  a  great  outcry  because  in  some  prosperous 
agricultural  regions  as  well  as  in  those  less  prosperous, 
the  farm  population  has  actually  declined.  At  the  bot- 
tom this  change  of  population  was  simply  an  eftort  to 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  53 

adjust  the  number  of  producers  to  the  number  of  con- 
sumers. Our  land  policy  had  developed  too  many  pro- 
ducers. The  application  of  scientific  principles  to  pro- 
duction and  the  establishment  of  a  nation-wide  system 
of  transportation  enabled  relatively  fewer  men  to  grow 
the  food  of  the  nation.  But  of  course  this  may  be  car- 
ried too  far.  If  we  have  too  many  producers,  we  get 
cheap  food  and  also  cheap  men  on  the  farm.  If  we 
have  too  few  producers,  the  country  is  not  adequately 
supplied  with  food. 

Adjuslment  in  the  Factors  of  Production.  The 
problem  is  essentially  this  :  Hovi'  may  the  farmer  com- 
pete with  manufacturing  and  business  interests  for  land, 
labor  and  capital?  It  is  a  question  of  proper  relation- 
ships. The  farmer  must  have  his  share  of  these  or  he 
cannot  do  his  best  work.  He  has  to  compete  con- 
stantly with  these  other  industries.  How  can  we  make 
sure  that  he  has  a  fair  field? 

Yield  per  Acre  and  Yield  per  Man.  The  strength 
of  European  agriculture  lies  in  its  large  yield  per  acre 
of  land.  The  strength  of  American  agriculture  lies  in 
its  large  yield  per  man  who  works  the  soil.  It  is  in  the 
interests  of  consumers  to  have  the  maximum  yield  of 
food  per  acre;  it  is  in  the  interests  of  producers  to  have 
the  maximum  return  due  each  individual  worker.  But 
clearly,  both  of  these  things  cannot  happen  at  the  same 
time.  Somewhere  we  must  find  the  fair  balance.  We 
must  adjust  the  interests  of  both.     How  can  we  do  it? 

The  Conservation  of  Soil  Resources.  Less  than  for- 
merly do  the  farmers  want  to  use  their  land  even  if  they 
use  it  all  up.  It  is  a  truism  that  the  American  farmer 
has  skimmed  the  cream  oft  the  soil  and  then  gone  on 
west.  Society,  that  is  all  of  us  together,  which  really 
owns  the  land,  is  interested  to  iiave  it  become  more  pro- 


54    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ductive,  whereas  it  has  become  less  productive  in  many 
regions.  Of  course  the  good  farmer  has  the  same  in- 
terest in  keeping  up  production,  but  many  farmers  do 
not  see  it.  They  want  immediate  results.  Clearly  we 
need  an  adjustment  that  results  both  in  that  use  of  the 
land  which  gives  a  fair  return  to  the  farmer,  and  that 
use  which  preserves  its  fertility  undiminished  for  future 
generations. 

Sharing  the  Savings.  Both  farmers  and  consumers 
would  like  to  abolish  the  middleman's  profits.  The 
farmer  rather  expects  to  get  most  of  the  profits  which 
the  middleman  has  made,  and  the  consumer,  oddly 
enough,  has  the  same  ambition.  Both  cannot  succeed. 
This  tendency  shows  itself  in  a  public  market  where 
householders  buy  of  farmers.  Each  wants  to  get  the 
best  bargain  possible.  What  eventually  happens  is 
probably  a  pretty  fair  trade,  both  getting  some  ad- 
vantage in  this  matter.  This  principle  holds  in  the 
whole  field  of  soil  distribution.  If  economies  of  dis- 
tribution arc  effected,  who  is  to  get  the  benefit  —  con- 
sumer or  producer?  Both!  It  is  a  matter  of  adjust- 
ment.    The  answer  lies  in  establishing  fair  trade. 

Agriculture  and  Other  Business.  Agriculture  is  our 
greatest  business  and  yet  it  is  often  left  out  of  account  in 
plans  for  possible  development.  But  its  relation  to 
manufacturing,  to  transportation,  to  commerce  and 
even  to  finance  is  very  close  and  even  vital.  Imagine  if 
you  can  the  farm  lands  of  America  lying  unproductive 
for  a  single  year.  Moreover,  it  is  clear  that  if  these 
relationships  of  agriculture  to  other  industries  are  so 
close,  competing  interests  will  show  themselves.  Inas- 
much as  these  industries  are  well  organized  and  agricul- 
ture is  poorly  organized,  the  farmers  are  apt  to  be  the 


THE  RURAL  PROBLEM  55 

losers.  How  can  we  adjust  these  big  interests  of  these 
big  industries  so  that  all  shall  have  the  square  deal? 

Agrarian  Legislation.  The  farmer  has  an  interest 
in  taxation,  in  the  tariff,  in  currency  legislation.  It  is 
believed  that  legislators  have  a  tendency  to  ignore  this 
interest,  but  it  cannot  safely  be  ignored.  If  it  results  in 
too  great  injustice,  then  we  have  a  radical  movement 
which  smashes  its  way  through,  perhaps  to  undesirable 
ends  for  all  concerned.  What  we  need,  then,  is  an  at- 
tempt to  adjust,  in  all  legislative  matters,  the  fair  inter- 
ests of  farmers  to  the  fair  interests  of  other  people. 

The  Farmer  in  Politics.  How  can  the  farmers 
make  themselves  felt  in  our  political  life?  As  a  party, 
shall  they  have  representation  in  legislative  business, 
somewhat  equivalent  to  their  numerical  strength? 
Neither  of  these  things  seems  very  practicable,  perhaps 
not  even  desirable.  On  the  other  hand,  are  the  farm- 
ers to  be  left  out  of  account  and  have  nothing  to  say? 
Are  they  to  have  no  unified  opinion  or  desire  that  finds 
expression  through  the  political  party  or  the  govern- 
ment? How  can  we  find  the  balance  between  political 
neglect  of  the  farmers  and  political  revolution  among 
the  farmers? 

The  Farmers  and  Organized  Labor.  Have  these 
groups  interests  in  common  or  are  they  absolutely  an- 
tagonistic? If  in  common,  where  do  these  interests 
lie?      If  antagonistic,  how  may  antagonism  be  allayed? 

Rural  and  Urban  Aspects  of  Civilization.  There 
are  people  who  think  that  the  city  stands  for  civiliza- 
tion, that  leadership,  wealth,  organization,  power,  will 
reside  in  the  city  and  take  the  helm  of  society's  progress. 
But  have  the  farmers  nothing  to  contribute?  Are  not 
their  methods  of  living  and  of  thinking  worth  some- 


S6    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

thing  to  the  common  country?  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant adjustments  is  to  make  it  possible  for  organized 
farmers  in  every  country  in  the  world  to  make  their 
fullest  contribution  in  work,  in  thought,  in  ideals,  to  the 
common  welfare  of  mankmd. 


CHAPTER  IV 

FARM  PROFITS  AND  RURAL  WELFARE 

There  is  one  part  of  the  rural  problem  that  deserves 
further  consideration  at  this  point.  As  explained  in 
the  last  chapter,  it  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  book  to 
discuss  the  details  of  specific  problems  of  farmers. 
But  there  is  one  aspect  of  the  large  general  rural  ques- 
tion that  is  of  such  vital  consequence  and  yet  is  so  seri- 
ously neglected  in  most  plans  for  rural  advancement, 
or  even  deliberately  ignored  as  of  relatively  slight  im- 
portance, that  we  must  endeavor  to  bring  it  into  its 
rightful  place  as  a  big  phase  of  the  relation  of  the 
farmer  to  the  New  Day.  It  is  the  "  farm  life  "  ques- 
tion. It  has  to  do  with  the  really  human  side,  the  true 
welfare  aspect  of  agriculture.  It  may  be  called  "  The 
Country  Life  Problem."  It  is  of  sufficient  significance 
in  rural  affairs  to  require  our  best  thought  and  most 
ardent  effort. 

The  tendency  to  neglect  or  ignore  this  problem  is 
well  illustrated  in  the  remark  that  one  hears  so  fre- 
quently as  to  be  most  exasperating  and  disheartening: 
"  Show  the  farmers  how  to  make  money  and  these  other 
things  will  take  care  of  themselves."  By  "  these  other 
things,"  often  mentioned  in  a  half-contemptuous  way, 
are  meant  such  matters  as  the  health,  the  play,  the 
reading,  the  morals,  the  religion,  the  politics  of  farm 
people.  They  are  supposed  to  be  minor  interests  — 
the  real  practical,  man-size  task  is  to  tell  the  farmers 

57 


58  THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

how  they  can  make  a  profit,  and  then  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  talk  about  the  "frills"  —  indeed  these  lesser 
difficulties  will  find  their  solution  in  the  mere  fact  that 
farm  people,  having  more  money  to  spend,  \vill  spend 
it  for  better  churches  and  schools.  We  hear  this  sort 
of  advice  not  only  from  some  farmers,  but  unfortu- 
nately more  frequently  from  official  leaders  of  farmers, 
even  from  agricultural  college  professors.  It  needs 
sharply  to  be  challenged.  It  is  barely  even  a  half 
truth,  and  it  is  working  great  damage  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  American  farmer. 

Another  mischievous  doctrine,  somewhat  akin  to  the 
other,  asserts  that  country  people  are  "just  like  other 
folks."  Of  course,  they  are.  The  statement  is  abso- 
lutely true,  if  by  it  we  mean  that  American  farmers  are 
not  a  special  class  or  caste,  to  be  set  off  by  themselves, 
with  peculiar  methods  of  living  and  with  unique  needs. 
But  it  is  untrue  if  it  implies  that  the  rural  environment 
has  little  or  no  influence  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  the  rural  mind  or  point  of  view,  or  if  it  leads  us  to 
act  upon  the  idea  that  the  plans  and  methods  successful 
in  city  work  can  be  bodily  transferred  to  the  country. 
That  idea  has  done  much  harm.  It  has  spoiled  many 
efforts  at  rural  school  improvement.  It  has  retarded 
a  statesmanlike  attack  on  the  country  church  problem. 
It  has  perhaps  kept  the  government  from  attending  as 
it  should  to  the  needs  of  the  country. 

THE    farmer's   view 

When  the  Roosevelt  Country  Life  Commission  ten 
years  ago  set  out  upon  its  journey  for  information,  there 
was  at  the  outset  in  some  parts  of  the  countr}'  a  good 
deal  of  resentment  expressed  because  the  very  existence 
of  the  commission  seemed  to  imply  the  need  of  "up- 


FARM   PROFITS  AND  WELFARE         59 

lift"  for  an  ignorant,  helpless  and  downtrodden  class. 
In  some  instances  even,  resolutions  of  denouncement 
were  passed  by  farmers'  associations.  The  report  of 
the  Commission  showed  that  its  members  had  no  such 
conception  of  the  situation.  But  the  feeling  just  de- 
scribed has  persisted  to  such  an  extent  that  where  an 
effort  is  made  to  study,  discuss,  or  improve  farm  life 
conditions,  there  are  those  who  cry  "uplift,"  and  the 
effort  is  at  once  thereby  condemned.  There  is  without 
doubt  some  basis  for  resentment  against  rural  "slum- 
ming." There  have  been  for  many  years  past  wild 
statements  about  rural  decadence,  especially  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  country.  Men  and  women  from  the 
city,  with  good  intentions  but  with  an  inadequate  back- 
ground of  knowledge  or  experience  in  rural  affairs,  have 
made  "first-hand  studies"  of  local  farming  regions, 
and  from  the  very  superficial  material  gathered  have 
reached  broad  conclusions,  almost  always  inaccurate, 
regarding  the  country  life  problem  as  a  v/hole.  In 
some  instances  there  has  been  a  tendency  to  investigate 
rural  regions  in  merely  curious  fashion.  Not  seldom 
earnest  efforts  to  help,  where  help  was  really  needed, 
have  been  given  with  such  obvious  condescension  and 
tactlessness  that  all  has  gone  for  naught. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  most  thoughtful  and  far- 
sighted  farmers  have  never  failed  to  sense  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  human  side  of  agriculture.  The  Grange, 
which  is  the  oldest,  the  most  broadly  conceived,  the  best 
organized,  and  on  the  whole  probably  the  most  suc- 
cessful of  the  great  farmers'  organizations,  has  always 
stood  four-scjuare  for  what  we  now  call  the  social  aspect 
of  the  farm  problem.  In  its  famous  "Declaration  of 
Purpose,"  promulgated  in  1873,  it  puts  first  among  its 
purposes  "To  develop  a  better  and  higher  manhood 


6o    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

and  womanhood  among  ourselves.  To  enhance  the 
comforts  and  attractions  of  our  homes."  PVom  the 
first,  women  were  admitted  to  membership  and  to  a 
share  in  responsibihty.  The  "  lecture  hour  "  of  each 
Grange  meeting  is  intended  for  education  and  recrea- 
tion. The  broad  social  purpose  and  work  of  the 
Grange  have  been  conspicuous.  The  fraternal  idea 
has  been  strong.  The  Grange  has  for  half  a  century 
consistently  followed  these  great  principles  of  rural 
welfare  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  persuade  any 
responsible  Grange  body  to  take  the  position  that  we 
can  afford  to  neglect  or  to  leave  to  chance  the  problem 
of  a  nobler  womanhood  and  a  higher  manhood.  To 
do  so  would  be  to  repudiate  the  organization  and  all  its 
works. 

BAD    SOCIAL    CONDITIONS    DO    EXIST 

If  we  face  facts,  we  shall  soon  find  that  there  is  ample 
cause  for  alarm  with  respect  to  rural  life  conditions. 
We  can  easily  find  rural  areas  so  isolated  that  loneli- 
ness reigns  supreme,  with  the  attendant  evils  of  con- 
stant drudgery,  unrelieved  monotony,  even  of  insanity 
and  other  forms  of  decadence.  There  are  farm  homes 
almost  completely  lacking  in  comfort,  convenience,  or 
even  in  the  mere  elements  of  refinement.  There  are 
rural  schools  of  a  half-dozen  pupils,  housed  in  an  un- 
kempt box  of  a  building,  taught  by  a  half-trained 
teacher  who  is  paid  most  meager  wages.  In  some  cases 
the  amount  as  well  as  the  quality  of  the  schooling  is 
pitifully  inadequate.  There  are  farmers  who  rarely 
take  any  recreation  or  permit  their  children  to  have  it. 
There  are  places  where  the  generally  accepted  rules  of 
public  health  are  unknown  or  unenforced,  even  places 
where  common  decencies  arc  not  observed.     There  are 


FARM  PROFITS  AND  WELFARE        6i 

regions  that  never  heard  of  efforts  to  make  the  country 
home  beautiful  or  convenient,  much  less  the  country 
landscape  and  the  community  buildings.  There  are 
areas  of  child  neglect  and  abuse,  of  immorality  and 
even  of  crime.  There  are  neighborhoods  of  the  weak, 
futile,  competing,  even  quarreling  churches,  where  it 
seems  apparent  that  if  God  has  not  forsaken  them,  they 
have  repudiated  Him. 

We  may  not  say  that  these  facts  are  isolated  and 
therefore  not  characteristic,  for  they  exist  far  too  fre- 
quently; nor  call  attention  to  the  great  multitude  of 
instances  where  precisely  opposite  conditions  prevail, 
for  you  can't  drain  a  swamp  merely  by  looking  at  a 
three-ton  field  of  growing  meadow.  We  may  not  say 
that  the  cities  are  worse;  it  is  slight  gain  for  the  "  vet- 
erinary "  to  try  to  comfort  Smith  for  his  sick  horse 
by  telling  him  that  Jones  has  a  better  horse  that  is 
sicker.  We  may  not  call  it  a  slander  to  tell  the  truth;  a 
boil  can't  be  cured  by  pretending  that  it  is  merely  a 
wart.  We  would  best  admit  that  such  things  exist  and 
that  they  are  a  menace.  We  have  often  been  short- 
sighted with  respect  to  them,  because  they  are  not  all 
true  of  any  one  region,  because  there  are  so  many  in- 
stances of  better  things,  because  in  some  cases  we  are 
ignorant  of  their  existence,  and  also,  sometimes  because 
we  accept  them  as  a  part  of  the  situation  and  not  as  a 
challenge  to  improvement.  We  must  not  blame  the 
alert  social  worker  from  the  city,  where  matters  of  this 
sort  have  been  the  subject  of  close  study  and  of  inten- 
sive effort  toward  relief,  if  when  he  gets  his  nose  into 
the  country  cellar  he  reports  odors  that  he  doesn't  ap- 
prove. 


62  THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


ALWAYS   ROOM   FOR   IMPROVEMENT 

But  to  win  our  case  for  the  importance  of  improving 
country  life,  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  at  length  on 
the  great  defects.  We  can  fall  back  upon  the  general 
proposition  that  there  is  no  farm  community  so  good 
that  it  cannot  be  better.  We  can  challenge  with  the 
assertion  that  "the  best  is  none  too  good."  If  there  is 
one  thing  in  the  community  that  is  not  what  it  ought  to 
be,  let  us  make  it  right.  If  there  is  one  family  in  the 
neighborhood  that  can  be  aided  by  intelligent  sympathy 
into  a  better  way  of  living,  shall  it  not  be  done  ?  Why 
worry  about  the  effects  of  well-meaning  city  people  or 
organizations,  so  long  as  we  can,  out  of  our  own  obser- 
vations and  ambitions,  find  a  way  toward  the  betterment 
of  our  farm  life  ? 

THE   CONCERN   OF   THE   CITY 

It  is  often  said  that  such  matters  as  we  have  been 
mentioning  are  not  the  concern  of  the  city  anyhow  and 
that  urban  discussion  of  country  life  is  impertinent. 
But  that  is  not  correct.  The  war  has  taught  us  once 
and  for  all  that  no  nation  liveth  or  dieth  unto  itself 
alone.  America  now  has  a  deep  interest  in  every  cor- 
ner of  the  earth.  And  so  at  home,  we  cannot  enter  the 
New  Day  fully  prepared  to  meet  its  problems  unless  we 
are  conscious  that  the  problems  of  New  York's  East 
Side  have  a  meaning  for  the  farmers  of  the  wheat  belt ; 
and  that  the  quality  of  farm  life  in  every  remote  county 
of  the  land  must  have  its  bearing  on  the  interests  of 
the  great  city.  There  is  a  stream  of  human  life  con- 
stantly flowing  from  country  to  city ;  is  it  pure  and 
wholesome  or  muddy  and  defiled?  The  answer  is  of 
vast  concern  to  the  city.     A  careless  dairyman  up  in 


FARM   PROFITS  AND  WELFARE         63 

the  hills  may  be  the  cause  of  a  great  epidemic  of  disease 
in  the  city.  The  intelligence  in  political  affairs,  the  ed- 
ucation, the  morals,  the  general  welfare  of  forty  mil- 
lion rural  folk  are  of  prime  consequence  in  our  national 
welfare. 

BUT  IS   THE   CONTENTION   REALLY   SOUND? 

We  have  been  dwelling  upon  the  importance  of  fac- 
ing the  facts  of  country  life,  and  upon  the  views  of 
farmers  about  rural  welfare  itself.  Let  us  now  see  just 
why,  as  a  piece  of  argument,  the  doctrine  that  country 
life  will  take  care  of  itself,  provided  the  farmer  makes 
a  profit  out  of  his  business,  is  fundamentally  unsound. 
What  are  the  main  objections  to  the  statement? 
Chiefly  that  it  isn't  true  at  all,  as  usually  put,  and  even 
contradicts  itself.  This  purely  business  conception  of 
the  farm  problem  narrows  the  farm  question,  ignoring 
its  most  vital  part,  the  real  end  of  all  human  endeavor. 
Moreover,  the  idea,  allowed  to  go  unchecked,  deprives 
us  of  some  of  the  strongest  helps  we  have  for  farmers 
struggling  to  win  a  fair  monetary  reward  for  their 
hard  toil. 

It  will  be  admitted  that  a  condition  of  reasonable 
prosperity  among  the  overwhelming  majority  of  farm- 
ers is  absolutely  essential  for  any  adequate  kind  of  farm 
life.  To  assert  anything  else  is  sheer  folly.  The 
country  preacher,  teacher  or  social  worker  should  not 
for  one  moment  forget  that  a  sound  rural  civilization 
must  have  for  its  foundation  a  bedrock  of  decent  money 
income,  a  fair  reward  for  toil.  A  good  community 
life  costs  money.  To  supply  good  rural  institutions 
costs  money.  But  the  converse  is  also  true :  That 
a  prosperous  farm  business  is  not  all  of  the  farm  prob- 
lem ;  indeed,  the  desire  for  a  satisfying  life  is  often  the 


64    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

fundamental  cause  of  financial  profit;  a  sound  rural 
civilization  must  also  have  as  secure  foundation  intel- 
ligence, morality,  ideals  of  personal  and  community 
life. 

The  "  economic  motive  " —  that  is,  the  desire  for 
gain  —  is  very  powerful  with  us  all,  but  it  is  not  the 
only  motive.  Love  of  home  and  children,  patriotism, 
religious  faith,  all  have  their  part  in  stirring  men  to 
their  utmost  endeavor.  The  high-minded  farmer 
never  works  merely  for  profit;  he  wishes  a  reasonable 
income  in  order  that  he  may  educate  his  family  as  well 
as  himself  into  a  satisfying  kind  of  life.  He  will  de- 
liberately choose  for  his  home,  of  two  communities  of 
equally  fertile  soil,  the  one  that  gives  better  promise  of 
good  schools  and  churches  and  neighborhood  life. 

Nor  is  a  good  farm  life  wholly  dependent  upon 
profit,  certainly  not  upon  large  profits.  The  beautiful 
family  life,  the  honesty  and  honor,  the  loyalty  and  the 
religious  faith  of  Robert  Burns'  cotter  have  been  re- 
peated in  all  essential  respects  in  tens  of  thousands  of 
rural  homes  that  enjoyed  only  a  meager  income,  not 
only  among  the  rugged  Scotch  farmers  but  wherever 
the  ideals  of  true  religion  have  prevailed. 

While  it  is  true  that  some  of  the  community  improve- 
ments we  most  desire  can  come  only  as  a  result  of  ma- 
terial prosperity,  this  is  often  but  an  excuse  for  failure 
to  improve.  One  strong  active  alert  country  church 
would  not  cost  a  community  as  much  as  a  half-dozen 
small  struggling  competing  churchlets.  Books  and  pe- 
riodicals, the  habits  of  reading  and  of  study,  keenness 
of  minds  open  to  new  ideas,  the  desire  to  try  new  ways, 

—  these  things  don't  wait  for  money  —  indeed  they  are 
the  conditions  of  financial  gain,  rather  than  its  results 

—  more  of  that  in  a  moment. 


FARM  PROFITS  AND  WELFARE        65 

But  the  most  alluring  and  the  most  dangerous  as- 
pect of  this  general  statement  about  "  these  things  tak- 
ing care  of  themselves  "  is  the  idea  that  once  a  region 
becomes  prosperous,  then  automatically  the  people 
themselves  see  to  it  that  living  conditions  are  improved 
in  proportion.  Once  more  we  may  admit  that  a  pov- 
erty-stricken country  simply  cannot  support  a  good 
farm  life.  But  the  facts  are  that  a  rich  country  also 
often  fails  to  support  a  good  farm  life.  Why  do  so 
many  "  well-to-do  "  farmers  move  to  "  town  "?  As  a 
rule  in  order  to  have  living  advantages  that  they  do  not 
have  in  the  country.  The  very  profits  that  should  go 
into  improving  local  conditions  go  to  rob  the  farm  com- 
munity. There  are  whole  regions  where  the  individual 
farmers  have  grown  rich  and  the  farm  life  in  the  com- 
munity where  they  made  their  wealth  has  grown 
poorer.  Is  it  not  strange  also,  that  we  must  devise 
laws,  and  organizations,  and  systems  of  education  to 
help  the  farmer  make  a  profit  out  of  his  business,  but 
that  we  don't  need  to  help  him  in  those  matters  of  home 
and  community  "  uplift  "  because  they  "  will  take  care 
of  themselves"?  Why  not  let  profit  take  care  of 
itself?     Surely  every  farmer  wants  a  profit. 

The  economist,  who  is  supposed  not  to  be  senti- 
mental, but  who  is  obliged  to  weigh  the  motives  that 
lead  to  wealth  production,  tells  us  that  when  men  begin 
to  secure  more  than  a  bare  subsistence,  what  they  want 
is  likely  to  be  the  measure  of  what  they  get.  "  Greater 
profits  in  agriculture  depend  upon  standards  or  pros- 
pective standards  of  living  and  comfort."  If  a  farmer 
has  an  automobile  ambition  instead  of  a  buggy  ambi- 
tion, he  makes  his  farm  yield  enough  profit  to  enable 
him  to  buy  an  automobile.  The  desire  for  a  piano  is 
a  stimulus  to  make  the  old  farm  buy  a  piano.      If  a  com- 


66    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

munity  wants  a  good  schoolhouse,  it  gets  it  and  pays  for 
it  because  the  farms  of  the  region  are  made  to  pay  bet- 
ter —  partly  at  least  on  account  of  the  wish  of  the  peo- 
ple to  have  a  better  schoolhouse.  We  cannot  be  sure 
of  all  the  reasons  why  we  work  harder  than  we  other- 
wise might,  but  we  do  know  that  the  increase  of  our  de- 
sires stimulates  us  to  greater  and  more  effective  toil. 
So  that  once  more  we  find  that  the  desire  for  "  these 
other  things  " —  education  and  recreation  and  good 
houses  and  books  and  reading  and  better  churches  —  is 
really  a  wonderful  stimulus  to  better  farming.  For 
farmers,  like  other  people,  do  not  work  for  money  — 
only  for  what  money  will  buy.  What  farmers  want 
for  their  labor  is  not  really  profit  —  but  the  things  and 
the  experiences  that  their  profits  will  get  for  them  and 
their  families. 

Worst  of  all,  the  doctrine  we  are  endeavoring  to 
combat  strikes  at  the  root  of  a  really  sane  wholesome 
view  of  human  life  itself  and  tends  to  substitute  means 
for  ends.  What  does  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 
whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?  What  is  the  gain 
in  bigger  barns  if  the  man's  life  is  required  of  him  on 
the  morrow?  Shall  we  never,  never  learn  the  lesson? 
A  man's  work,  yes  even  profit,  is  only  a  means  to  an 
end,  and  the  end  is  —  life.  So  with  farming.  Shall 
the  farmer  plow  and  sow  and  reap  and  gather  into 
barns;  toil  early  and  toil  late,  sweat  and  strain,  and  go 
with  gnarled  fingers  and  bent  shoulders,  merely  that 
he  may  wring  a  few  more  dollars  out  of  it  all?  No; 
the  end  and  purpose  of  "  better  farm  practice  "  and  of 
"  better  farm  business  "  is  a  "  better  farm  life."  // 
we  don  t  get  that  we  fail!  Let  us  not  forget  this 
truth.     We  must  not,  cannot  disregard  the  means  to 


FARM  PROFITS  AND  WELFARE        67 

this  great  end;  we  must  have  better  farming  and  better 
business.  We  must  help  the  farmer  here  at  every  turn. 
But  it  is  all  done  in  order  that  out  of  it  shall  come  the 
sort  of  farm  life  that  the  farmer  deserves  and  that  the 
nation  wants  him  to  have,  for  its  own  sake  as  well  as 
for  his. 

THE    PRACTICAL   ASPECT 

On  the  practical  side,  too,  there  is  great  harm  done 
by  the  statement  that  "  these  things  will  take  care  of 
themselves  " !  It  works  to  prevent  due  study  of  coun- 
try life  affairs,  the  fostering  of  rural  agencies  for  social 
advancement,  and  especially  does  it  tend  to  narrow  in- 
terests and  restricted  views  of  the  farm  question.  It 
keeps  us  from  seeing  the  rural  problem  with  two  eyes. 
It  discredits  the  work  of  teacher  and  preacher  and 
social  worker.  It  makes  possible  a  wrong  definition 
of  "  practical."  For  a  book  could  be  written  proving 
that  even  in  the  effort  to  obtain  greater  profit  the  intan- 
gible "  spiritual  "  things  are  the  most  effective.  Here 
are  two  farmers  on  adjoining  farms.  One  succeeds, 
the  other  fails.  Why?  Both  are  equally  "  helped." 
Both  belong  to  the  Grange,  can  receive  the  same  agri- 
cultural bulletins  from  Washington  and  from  the  state 
experiment  station,  can  attend  the  same  extension 
school,  belong  to  the  same  farm  land  bank,  participate 
in  the  same  farmers'  exchange.  What  is  the  explana- 
tion? They  are  different  men;  that  is  all.  Now  un- 
less you  believe  that  men  cannot  be  improved,  then  you 
must  admit  that  the  thing  to  do  with  the  failure  is  not 
to  give  him  more  helps  toward  profit,  but  to  awaken 
him  as  a  man.  And  you  can  best  awaken  him  as  a  man 
only  when  you  have  touched  the  springs  of  character, 


68     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

have  brought  him  to  see  his  whole  Hfe  in  a  new  light. 
Perhaps  he  disregards  ordinary  rules  of  hygiene,  and 
loses  days  and  weeks  of  labor  and  time.  Perhaps  he 
works  so  hard  he  hasn't  time  to  think,  and  no  plans  de- 
velop. Perhaps  he  just  lacks  the  stimuli  to  thinking  that 
come  from  neighborhood  contacts.  The  man  —  es- 
pecially the  young  man  —  gets  these  stimuli  in  school,  in 
church,  in  Grange,  in  sociable  life,  in  books  and  reading 
—  all  social  realities.  It  is  these  that  shape  his  life 
and  make  him  an  efficient  worker  —  not  at  all  the  mere 
quest  for  profit  as  a  thing  by  itself. 

There  is  one  more  thing  that  needs  to  be  said.  Our 
American  farming  suffers  from  its  transitory  character. 
We  do  not  want  upon  the  land  a  peasant  caste  —  a  class 
out  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  rise.  But  we  do  want  a 
permanent  agriculture,  and  we  can't  have  a  permanent 
agriculture  unless  the  farmers  love  farm  life  as  well  as 
make  a  profit  out  of  the  farm  business. 

WHAT    THEN    IS    THE    TRUTH? 

What  we  need  is  a  true  balance  of  forces,  motives, 
and  methods.  Ideals  alone  produce  visionaries;  work 
for  gain  alone  brings  barrenness  of  real  life.  We  need 
both.  We  need  emphasis  in  rural  affairs  both  upon  the 
economic  issue  and  the  social  problem.  They  should 
have  equal  attention  for  they  are  at  least  of  equal  im- 
portance. One  cannot  go  ahead  at  full  speed  without 
the  other.  They  must  be  driven  double  and  not  tan- 
dem. Let  us  give  full  measure  of  effort  to  the  making 
of  American  agriculture  more  prosperous  for  the  av- 
erage farmer;  but  let  us  also  cherish  with  equal  en- 
deavor and  intelligence  his  highest,  truest  welfare. 
Let  us  learn  that  there  is  a  place  for  the  work  of  ex- 
perts in  farm  life  as  well  as  in  farm  practice  or  farm 


FARM  PROFITS  AND  WELFARE        69 

business.  Let  us  develop  the  agencies  of  country  life, 
such  as  school  and  church,  with  as  much  zeal  and  ear- 
nestness as  we  devote  to  increasing  production  and  se- 
curing better  prices. 


CHAPTER  V 

FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING 

There  has  been  developed  in  America,  gradually  but 
very  steadily,  an  interest  in  the  soil  that  is  not  farming 
in  the  older  or  ordinary  sense  of  the  word.  It  might 
be  called  the  "  twilight  zone  "  between  farm  and  city. 
It  has  to  do  with  the  food  production  in  some  measure, 
but  its  greatest  significance  arises  from  quite  other  as- 
pects and  influences.  Heretofore  this  twilight  zone 
has  not  been  of  very  much  interest  to  the  farmer.  In- 
deed he  has  been  inclined  to  treat  it  as  something  of  a 
joke.  He  has  enjoyed  the  thought  of  the  city  dweller 
fussing  with  a  few  vegetables  and  calling  it  farming. 
In  a  few  cases  where  it  has  become  a  factor  in  produc- 
tion, the  farmer  has  perhaps  been  moved  to  oppose  it. 
But  the  war  has  brought  out  in  a  stronger  light  this  new 
interest.  The  "  war  gardens  "  have  grown  apace. 
There  have  been  millions  of  them.  Now  that  the  war 
is  over,  most  of  them  will  be  discontinued,  but  many 
will  persist,  and  some  aspects  of  these  war  ventures 
will  become  important.  In  fact,  we  must  recognize 
that  in  this  twilight  zone  there  is  a  very  important  field 
of  effort  in  which  the  soil  plays  a  large  part.  The 
farmer  ought  to  be  sympathetic  toward  it.  He  can 
afford  on  the  whole  to  ignore  the  question  of  its  effect 
on  the  prices  of  his  products,  because  its  influence  is  not 
likely  to  be  very  detrimental  to  him,  while  its  develop- 
ment means  so  much  for  humanity  that  it  ought  to  en- 

70 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     71 

list  his  sympathy.  At  any  rate,  it  is  probably  inevit- 
able, and  even  if  the  farmer's  business  is  affected,  he 
will  probably  have  to  adjust  his  mind  and  plans  thereto. 

We  must  not  confuse  this  new  field  with  what  has 
been  called  the  "  back  to  the  farm  "  movement.  There 
are  still  some  who  believe  that  our  agricultural  problem 
is  to  be  solved  by  a  return  migration  from  city  to  farm. 
This  twilight  zone  of  farming  does  not  at  all  solve  the 
farm  problem;  perhaps  it  complicates  it.  It  may  help 
mightily  to  solve  the  city  problem,  for  looking  at  it  in 
the  large  way,  it  promises  not  so  much  an  economic 
gain  for  humanity  as  the  evolution  of  a  great  welfare 
movement.  It  is  likely  to  become  a  real  asset  in  im- 
proved methods  of  living.  It  consists  of  a  rather  mis- 
cellaneous group  of  activities.  At  present,  it  is  more 
in  evidence  in  the  East  where  the  population  is  crowded, 
but  it  arises  wherever  there  are  large  cities  with  huge 
factories  and  crowded  living  conditions.  Tet  us  re- 
cite quite  briefly  some  of  the  items  in  this  twilight  zone 
of  farming  that  is  not  farming. 

The  Five-Acre  Farm.  The  acreage  suggested  is  a 
rough  measure  for  what  might  be  called  "  a  farmlet." 
It  ranges  perhaps  from  three  to  ten  acres.  It  has  to  be 
carried  on  as  a  rule  near  a  large  market,  under  a  system 
of  intensive  cultivation  and  chiefly  with  vegetables, 
fruit,  poultry  or  some  combination  of  these,  although  it 
is  quite  common  in  some  irrigated  valleys  in  the  West, 
especially  where  fruit  is  grown.  There  are  cases  of  a 
more  general  type  of  farming  practiced  by  the  owner 
of  the  "  little  farm  well  tilled,"  but  these  are  excep- 
tional. This  small  farm  can  support  a  family  only 
where  the  market  is  ,L!;ood,  the  soil  fertile,  either  natu- 
rally or  under  commercial  fertilization,  and  where  the 
family  can  do  the  work  without  hiring  extra  labor,  ex- 


72    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

cept  possibly  for  harvesting.  In  some  cases  such  a 
place  will  be  occupied  by  a  family  which  has  partial 
support  from  other  sources,  but  desires  the  country  life 
and  work  for  the  sake  of  health  or  the  better  education 
of  children,  or  just  for  sheer  love  of  the  country  itself. 
There  is  evidence  that  the  number  of  these  little  farms 
is  increasing  quite  rapidly,  particularly  near  the  Atlan- 
tic seaboard,  north  and  south.  Negro  farmers  in  the 
south  and  recent  negro  immigrants  to  the  north  seem 
to  seek  these  small  places  rather  than  continue  as  wage 
workers.  There  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  with 
the  growth  of  cities  and  the  resultant  better  markets 
and  the  increase  in  the  price  of  land,  very  small  farms 
will  become  a  characteristic  feature  of  American  agri- 
culture and  will  have  a  considerable  influence  upon  cer- 
tain types  of  production. 

The  JVorkingman's  Homestead.  This  is  primarily 
not  a  matter  of  growing  food  but  a  chance  to  get  a 
house.  It  Is  an  expression  of  the  desire  to  leave  the 
crowded  tenement  and  to  find  a  separate  house  with 
land  enough  about  It  to  Insure  good  health,  sunshine, 
and  privacy.  These  little  plots  of  one-tenth  or  per- 
haps not  over  one-twentieth  of  an  acre,  worked  night 
and  morning  by  the  head  of  the  house  with  more  or  less 
help  from  other  members  of  the  family,  will  grow  a 
considerable  quantity  of  fresh  vegetables  and  fruits, 
accomplish  quite  a  substantial  saving  In  monev,  Induce 
a  larger  consumption  of  fresh  fruit  and  vegetables  of 
much  better  quality  than  has  heretofore  been  the  case. 
This  is  by  no  means  all  the  good  that  mav  come.  In 
such  a  home,  family  life  can  be  better  developed  than  In 
the  tenement.  Children  are  educated  by  contact  with 
growing  things  and  get  a  little  at  least  of  the  same  ad- 
vantage that  comes  to  the  farm  boy  who  learns  early 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     73 

in  life  to  deal  with  things  practical.  Not  the  least  of 
its  advantages  is  that  it  creates  respect  for  the  farmer. 
This  movement  had  gained  quite  a  headway  in  Europe 
prior  to  the  war.  It  had  shown  itself  chiefly  in  what 
are  called  the  "  garden  cities  "  of  England  and  to  some 
extent  in  this  country.  No  workingmen  in  the  world 
are  housed  so  well  or,  on  the  whole,  live  so  well  as  those 
grouped  in  separate  houses,  not  over  eight  families  to 
an  acre.  Do  farmers  realize  the  difference  between  a 
housing  plan  that  takes  care  of  perhaps  forty  people  on 
an  acre  and  a  housing  plan,  or  lack  of  plan,  that  pur- 
ports to  care  for  4,000  people  on  an  acre?  This  arith- 
metic preaches  its  own  sermon  on  behalf  of  humanity. 
In  some  cases  more  ambitious  workmen  will  undertake 
larger  areas  —  perhaps  the  one-acre  or  two-acre  plot, 
in  which  case  more  of  the  work  will  be  done  by  the 
women  and  children  in  the  family,  or  by  the  man  him- 
self if  employed  chiefly  in  the  winter,  with  light  summer 
work.  More  and  more  frequently  the  workingman 
who  can  get  enough  land  will  seek  to  retire  from  wage 
earning  before  he  reaches  the  dead  line,  because  when 
his  children  are  grown  it  may  be  possible  for  him  and 
his  wife  to  earn  very  comfortably  the  larger  share  of 
their  living  from  this  small  plot.  Before  the  war  Bel- 
gium was  perhaps  the  best  instance  of  the  development, 
on  a  large  scale,  of  the  workingman's  homestead  inso- 
far as  numbers  are  concerned.  Thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  Belgian  workingmen  living  on  "  farms  "  of 
an  acre  or  one-half  an  acre  went  many  miles  every  day 
to  and  from  their  work.  This  was  only  possible  where 
rapid  transit  at  very  low  fares  was  common.  In  Bel- 
gium the  government-owned  railways  provided  these  re- 
quirements. It  is  clear  also  that  this  movement  in- 
volves the  cooperation  of  large  employers  of  labor,  not 


74     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

only  in  the  location  of  factories  but  by  helping  to  pro- 
vide plans,  credit,  supervision,  and  education.  The 
provision  of  workingmen's  homesteads  promises  to  be 
one  of  the  great  social  movements  of  the  New  Day. 

The  Factory  Garden.  This  is,  in  America,  purely  a 
war  development.  I'he  manufacturer  sets  apart  or 
rents  a  considerable  area,  perhaps  ten  to  forty  acres, 
organizes  it  as  a  unit  of  management,  and  allots  parcels 
to  individual  employees  to  till.  This  plan  requires  ex- 
pert supervision,  as  well  as  the  preparation  of  the 
ground,  the  purchase  and  application  of  fertilizers,  and 
probably  the  purchase  of  seed,  by  the  employer.  This 
scheme  has  proved  substantially  helpful  in  increasing 
the  food  supply  of  the  workingman,  but  it  is  likely  to  be 
rather  temporary  as  a  large  movement.  It  may,  how- 
ever, play  quite  a  part  after  the  war  for  those  working- 
men  who  are  for  any  reason  barred  from  garden  cities 
and  yet  who  wish  to  work  parcels  of  ground. 

Use  of  Vacant  Land  in  Cities.  Twenty  years  ago, 
the  mayor  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  caused  a  national 
smile  by  advocating  the  "  Pingree  potato  patch  ";  but  it 
was  a  good  idea.  An  enormous  amount  of  absolutely 
idle  land  within  the  confines  of  every  city  is  worse  than 
useless  because  it  is  usually  unsightly,  it  spreads  weed 
seeds,  and  in  a  day  when  thrift  is  again  coming  to  be 
a  virtue,  one  rebels  at  the  thought  of  waste  anywhere. 
Again  we  may  learn  from  I'urope  where,  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  with  us,  these  idle  lands  have  been 
put  to  use.  Generally  speaking,  this  plan  should  be 
handled  by  municipalities.  It  cannot  be  very  successful 
or  widespread  without  invoking  a  compulsory  law  to 
bring  such  land  into  use  under  terms  that  are  fair  to  the 
owner.  The  use  of  these  plots  needs  organization  and 
superintendence  because  most  of  the  workers  are  not  ex- 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING      75 

perienced.  They  especially  need  protection  from  van- 
dalism. To  thousands  of  dwellers  of  the  tenements, 
the  vacant-land  garden  would  be  a  great  boon. 

The  Community  Garden.  The  English  government, 
during  the  war,  has  made  a  multitude  of  allotments  of 
land  to  workingmen  by  which  they  can  grow  a  portion 
of  their  own  food.  It  is  understood  that  food  produc- 
tion in  England  has  increased  fourfold  during  the  past 
two  or  three  years,  and  that  this  increase  is  largely  due 
to  the  small  allotments  to  thousands  of  people  who  had 
»  never  before  grown  any  part  of  their  food  supply. 
Allotments  may  be  handled  by  cities  as  just  suggested, 
utilizing  the  vacant  land.  Another  development  may 
be  the  provision  by  the  community,  small  or  large,  for 
its  own  fruits  and  vegetables.  This  may  be  either  by 
arrangement  with  individual  growers  or  by  municipal 
management  of  the  enterprise. 

Several  successful  community  gardens  have  been  con- 
ducted in  Massachusetts  during  the  past  season.  The 
city  of  Worcester  furnished  a  tract  of  land,  plowed  and 
fertilized  it,  and  divided  it  into  plots  of  one-eighth  of 
an  acre.  Any  one  might  secure  one  of  these,  pay  for 
the  plowing  and  the  fertilizer  and  plant  what  he  wished. 
A  garden  supervisor  was  provided  by  the  county  farm 
bureau.  The  gardens  have  been  counted  as  very  suc- 
cessful. The  town  of  Newton  adopted  a  somewhat 
different  method.  The  town  furnished  the  ground, 
plowed  and  fertilized  it  and  supplied  seed  potatoes  for 
planting  it.  Any  citizen  of  the  town  was  allowed  to 
work  upon  this  tract  and  according  to  the  amount  of 
work  each  had  done  the  crop  was  divided  at  the  end 
of  the  season,  after  the  expenses  of  plowing  and  fer- 
tilizer were  deducted.  This  method  likewise  has  been 
very  satisfactory. 


76    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

The  Home  Garden.  The  home  garden  in  the  vil- 
lage or  in  the  suburban  town  has  long  been  character- 
istic of  America.  It  does  not  need  much  attention 
from  outsiders.  It  is  an  individual  matter.  To  many 
people  it  constitutes  one  of  the  great  attractions  of  the 
life  in  the  smaller  group.  While  it  is  to  be  encouraged, 
it  can  hardly  be  organized. 

The  Farmer's  Garden.  There  are  thousands  of 
farmers  who  regard  a  garden  as  a  nuisance.  They 
won't  "  fuss  "  with  it.  They  have  no  time  for  it. 
They  have  "  bigger  things  to  do."  So  the  garden  is 
neglected  and  the  result  is  an  astonishing  lack  of  variety 
on  the  farmer's  table,  where  one  would  naturally  expect 
the  greatest  variety.  The  luxury  of  fresh  fruits  and 
vegetables  is  missed  by  those  who  could  have  them  most 
easily.  In  some  whole  regions  of  our  country,  canned 
fruits  and  vegetables  are  bought  on  store  credit  and 
used  in  lieu  ot  home  grown  products.  One  of  the  big 
educational  campaigns  of  recent  years  has  been  con- 
ducted by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  to  try  to  meet 
this  astonishing  situation.  Some  farmers  have  pro- 
posed that  in  a  community  of  farmers  whose  chief  inter- 
est is  in  stock  growing  or  general  farming,  there  might 
be  either  a  community  garden  or  an  arrangement  with 
certain  individuals  for  the  growing  in  the  community 
itself  of  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables,  the  other  farmers 
furnishing  the  market.  In  other  words,  it  would  be 
perfectly  feasible  for  an  organized  community  either 
to  arrange  with  one  of  its  number  to  grow  "  garden 
sauce  "  for  the  neighborhood,  or  to  hire  a  specialist  to 
manage  the  community  garden. 

Boys'  and  Girls'  Gardens.  The  development  of 
boys'  and  girls'  gardens  and  of  boys'  and  girls'  agricul- 
tural and  canning  clubs  has  been  one  of  the  great  educa- 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     77 

tional  movements  of  our  time.  Indeed,  its  educational 
value  is  its  chief  value,  although  if  we  could  have  an 
accurate  census  of  the  value  of  the  products  grown  by 
these  hundreds  of  thousands  of  American  boys  and  girls 
both  in  city  and  country,  they  would  receive  great  praise 
for  their  practical  contribution  to  our  food  supply. 
For  the  farm  boy  and  girl  this  movement  has  awakened 
new  interest  in  the  science  of  farming,  new  interest  in 
farm  processes,  new  knowledge  of  scientific  methods 
and  a  new  love  for  growing  things.  It  has  given  the 
zest  of  responsibility  and  possession.  It  is  also  aston- 
ishing to  discover  the  extent  to  which  city  and  village 
boys  and  girls  have  participated  in  this  movement.  It 
is  estimated,  for  example,  that  in  the  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts this  past  season  not  less  than  75,000  boys  and 
girls  who  are  not  living  on  farms  carried  on  gardens 
or  even  larger  enterprises.  There  is  much  testimony 
to  the  awakening  that  has  come  to  many  a  farmer  and 
a  farmer's  wife  through  the  successes  of  the  boy  and 
girl  in  trying  new  methods.  It  is  difficult  to  overstate 
the  importance  to  agriculture  and  country  life  of  the 
boys'  and  girls'  gardens.  It  is  a  selective  process.  It 
is  foolish  to  try  to  keep  all  farm-bred  boys  and  girls 
on  the  farm.  It  is  equally  foolish  to  seek  a  great  mi- 
gration of  city  people  to  the  country.  But  we  do  want 
something  that  will  tend  to  keep  the  farm-minded  boy 
and  girl  on  the  farm  and  to  send  the  farm-minded  city 
boy  and  girl  to  the  farm.  This  the  boys'  and  girls'  gar- 
dens tend  to  do.  It  also  will  help  greatly  in  making  fu- 
ture consumers  appreciative  of  good  food,  what  it  costs 
to  grow  it,  and  how  it  is  to  be  cared  for  in  the  home. 

The  Estate.  By  this  is  meant  the  country  home  of 
the  man  of  means  whose  business  is  not  farming  at  all. 
The  practice  of  living  in  the  country  for  at  least  half 


78     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  year  is  rapidly  growing.  It  is  a  healthy,  normal, 
educative  movement.  It  leads  to  out-of-door  life,  to  a 
new  understanding  of  country  things,  and  occasionally 
helps  to  educate  a  community  to  better  farming.  How- 
ever, the  growth  of  estates  in  this  country  is  likely  in 
the  near  future  to  become  a  real  problem.  One  can  see 
what  the  possibilities  are,  if  unrestricted,  by  studying 
the  situation  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  up  to  very 
recent  times.  Of  course  with  our  abundance  of  land 
it  will  be  a  long  while  before  the  problem  of  the  estate 
is  a  national  concern.  But  already  in  some  of  the 
smaller  states  of  the  East,  land  that  ought  to  be  pro- 
ducing crops  for  nearby  markets  is  monopolized  for 
mere  pleasure.  Of  course,  if  the  farming  of  these 
estates  were  really  made  to  pay,  the  estate  would  sim- 
ply become  a  large  scale  farm  and  would  be  judged  on 
its  own  merits.  It  is  said  that  in  one  county  in  the 
East  nearly  one-half  of  the  land,  some  of  it  the  very 
best  farming  land  of  the  county,  has  gone  into  estates 
that  probably  will  produce  one-fourth  of  what  the  land 
would  produce  if  farmed  by  small  farmers  growing 
truck  crops  for  the  nearby  large  markets.  We  have 
seen  not  only  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  but  in  Ger- 
many the  government  itself  stepping  in  to  break  up  the 
large  estates.  It  is  a  question  that  may  need  our  at- 
tention in  America. 

Forestry.  Theoretically  forestry  is  a  branch  of 
agriculture.  When  we  are  fully  alive  to  its  importance, 
we  shall  treat  trees  as  crops.  It  will  require,  however, 
a  very  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  think  of 
forestry  as  a  branch  of  farming.  The  farm  wood  lot, 
however,  is  much  more  worth  while  than  it  seems  to 
most  farmers.  The  time  will  come  when  it  will  be 
worth  while  really  to  conserve  our  coal,  and  a  not  un- 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     79 

important  Item  in  this  conservation  program  will  be  the 
prevalence  of  wood-burning  furnaces  in  the  farm  homes, 
the  wood  being  obtained  either  from  wood  lots  or  the 
home  farm.  In  the  aggregate,  this  practice  would  re- 
sult in  an  immense  saving  of  coal.  Forests  are  the  only- 
crop  that  can  be  grown  in  all  rough  or  mountainous 
regions.  Great  areas  in  both  the  East  and  West  are 
useless  for  anything  else,  and  they  are  now  producing 
only  intermittently  and  fitfully  their  full  capacity  of 
forest  products.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  expect  in- 
dividual owners  to  change  this  situation.  Possibly  trust 
companies  can  be  encouraged  to  invest  in  and  develop 
forest  areas  on  a  scientific  basis  as  a  means  of  utilizing 
funds  in  their  charge.  But  in  general  it  may  be  said 
that  the  only  possible  way  of  establishing  and  main- 
taining an  adequate  forest  policy  is  for  the  government 
to  do  it.  Not  only  the  federal  government  but  each 
state  should  be  moving  in  this  direction  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  It  means  the  best  use  of  the  land,  better  con- 
ditions for  farming  due  to  the  effect  on  conservation  of 
water,  cheaper  lumber  and  so  on.  Not  the  least  of  the 
possibilities  of  forestry  consists  In  the  fact  that  a  scien- 
tific forestry  policy  carried  on  by  a  state  over  a  series 
of  years  could  be  made  to  yield  a  substantial  income 
for  the  support  of  some  permanent  interest  of  the  state, 
such  as  the  public  schools.  Variations  of  the  effort  to 
grow  trees  for  wood  products,  are  the  growing  of 
nut-bearing  trees,  sugar-  and  oil-bearing  trees,  and  of 
ornamental  trees  and  shrubs. 

City  Forestry.  7  he  water  supply  of  a  city  Is  a  vital 
concern.  As  a  region  becomes  exceedingly  populous, 
the  difficulty  In  keeping  a  supply  both  adequate  and  pure 
increases.  There  Is  no  doubt  that  for  larger  cities  at 
least  the  question  of  adequate  forestratlon  of  the  areas 


8o    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

which  supply  the  reservoirs  will  become  a  regular  part 
of  municipal  policy.  The  matter  of  parks  and  play- 
grounds is  of  course  of  little  direct  interest  to  the 
farmer  but  of  most  intense  importance  to  the  city;  and 
these,  in  connection  with  forests  as  a  part  of  the  park 
system  of  a  city,  have  to  do  intimately  with  soil  and  the 
soil  treatment.  It  is  not  impossible  to  conceive  of  cities 
ultimately  gaining  some  substantial  revenue  from  their 
forests.  This  is  already  done  in  some  places  in 
Europe.  The  use  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  decorative 
purposes  in  streets  and  parks  and  in  fact  the  whole  ques- 
tion of  what  is  called  city  forestry,  including  planting, 
care,  protection  from  the  ravages  of  insects,  and 
disease,  constitutes  a  large  factor  in  city  planning. 

The  Landscape.  When  we  say  landscape,  we  are 
likely  to  think  of  parks  or  estates  of  the  wealthy,  but 
the  farmer  has  a  landscape  with  him  every  day.  Per- 
haps he  too  seldom  uses  his  opportunities  to  make  his 
surroundings  beautiful  at  small  expense.  The  beauti- 
fication  of  country  highways,  the  establishment  of  vil- 
lage parks  and  playgrounds,  the  landscape  adornment 
of  public  buildings,  schools,  churches  and  Grange  halls 
is  too  much  neglected.  But  there  is  the  landscape  as 
nature  has  it.  The  farmer  has  access  to  beautiful 
views.  Does  he  not  sometimes  need  education  in  land- 
scape appreciation? 

Soil  Specialties.  There  are  other  uses  of  soils  than 
the  growing  of  food,  feeds  and  fibers.  Floriculture  is 
a  large  industry.  The  systematic  production  of  the 
medicinal  plants  is  increasing.  Specialties,  such  as 
mushrooms,  rhubarb,  etc.,  sometimes  make  quite  profit- 
able returns.  Seed  farms  and  nurseries  arc  common. 
These  specialties  will  increase  in  number  and  in  the 
aggregate  they  will  eventually  comprise  quite  a  sub- 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     8i 

stantial  business.  More  than  that,  they  represent  a 
very  intelligent  use  of  the  soil  and  a  highly  skilled 
utilization  of  plants. 

The  Soil  and  Social  Amelioration.  It  has  recently 
been  stated  in  France  that  the  victims  of  shell  shock  re- 
cover much  more  rapidly  if  they  can  be  put  to  work  in 
the  fields.  Better  than  medicine,  better  than  nursing, 
better  than  the  hospital  is  the  soil  in  the  open  country. 
Novi^  this  statement  is  only  a  new  Illustration  of  the 
fact  that  both  physicians  and  social  experts  discovered 
some  time  ago  and  to  an  increasing  extent  are  putting 
into  operation.  It  is  common  knowledge  that  schools 
for  delinquents,  the  old-fashioned  "  reform  "  schools, 
have  usually  been  placed  in  the  country.  The  most  en- 
lightened prison  policies  now  provide  for  farms  in  con- 
nection with  the  prisons  and  the  habitual  use  of  prison- 
ers in  producing  their  own  food.  Not  long  ago,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  experts  connected  with  the  treat- 
ment of  the  feeble-minded  asserted  that  in  the  future 
these  institutions  must  consist  of  colonies  so  located  that 
the  Inmates  could  not  only  have  open  air  but  farm  work. 
It  has  been  found  that  even  the  insane  can  be  used  to  a 
very  large  extent  in  many  farm  operations.  The  out- 
of-door  work  tends  to  health ;  steady  employment  makes 
for  mental  poise  and  sanity.  In  all  these  institutions 
there  is  some  considerable  saving  of  expense  to  the 
state.  If  properly  managed,  these  farms  could  be 
also  demonstrations  in  good  farming.  It  should  be 
more  generally  understood  that  the  increase  in  delin- 
quents of  various  sorts,  physical  and  mental  and  moral, 
Is  becoming  a  serious  menace  to  our  civilization,  both  in 
country  and  in  city.  If,  therefore,  the  use  of  the  soil 
as  a  means  of  amelioration  and  possibly  of  curing  Is 
practicable,  it  has  very  far-reaching  consequences. 


82     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

We  shall  also  need  to  provide  easy  facilities  by  which 
those  who  are  partially  disabled,  either  physically  or 
nervously,  can  be  placed  upon  the  land.  It  will  not 
do  to  arrange  for  these  people  under  the  expectation 
that  invalids  can  do  farm  work.  But  men  who  need 
to  be  out  of  doors,  and  can  do  fairly  active  work  or 
men  only  partly  disabled  can  farm  small  pieces  of  land 
in  many  cases  to  advantage.  This  is  destined  to  be  a 
part  of  a  national  policy  for  taking  care  of  the  con- 
siderable current  of  men  and  women  who  would  seek 
the  country  if  they  knew  the  way. 

Game  Farming.  Just  as  there  are  soil  specialties, 
so  there  are  animal  specialties,  growing  of  pets,  of  fur- 
bearing  animals,  of  game.  In  general,  the  state  itself 
or  large  land  holding  concerns  can  carry  on  these  types 
of  farming  to  best  advantage.  In  some  portions  of  the 
country,  naturally  wooded,  and  in  connection  with  the 
forestry  policy,  game  farming  can  be  made  a  consider- 
able factor  both  in  the  production  of  meat  and  in  the 
increase  in  value  of  animal  products.  A  variation  of 
game  farming  is  fish  farming,  that  is,  the  use  of  fresh 
lakes,  ponds  and  streams  for  the  production  of  fish. 
We  are  just  beginning  the  development  of  this  field. 

The  Soil  as  a  Machine.  The  average  American 
thinks  of  the  soil  merely  as  a  storehouse  of  plant  food. 
But  in  all  older  settled  regions  farmers  discover  that  it 
is  desirable  to  make  a  highly  intensive  use  of  the  soil,  not 
so  much  a  reservoir  of  fertility  as  a  container  of  fer- 
tility. Commercial  fertilizers  are  added  to  the  soil 
and  furnish  the  major  part  of  the  plant  food.  Glass 
farming  is  dependent  upon  this  use  of  the  soil;  as  are 
also  crops  that  are  grown  out  ot  their  normal  season. 
When  an  effort  is  made  to  get  unusual  yields  of  special 
quality,  the  same  principle  is  brought  into  operation. 


FARMING  THAT  IS  NOT  FARMING     83 

It  is  a  principle  that  has  the  utmost  significance  in  all 
countries  where  population  presses  upon  available  farm- 
ing areas.  This  is  not  "  farming  "  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  word;  but  again  it  is  a  highly  intelligent 
and  skilled  use  of  the  soil  for  growing  things  that  man 
wants.  We  have  here  a  powerful  social  appeal  to 
people  to  tie  themselves  up  with  a  bit  of  the  land  for  the 
sake  of  health  and  sanity  and  good  influences. 

All  this  field  of  farming  that  is  not  farming  is  there- 
fore sure  to  broaden.  It  ought  to  have  the  sympa- 
thetic understanding  of  the  farmers.  It  is  really  big 
with  importance  for  humanity.  These  things  also 
mean  a  gradual  change  of  attitude  on  the  part  of  con- 
sumers. When  they  have  their  own  gardens,  they  will 
come  to  know  that  cabbages  come  from  the  land  instead 
of  from  the  grocery.  They  will  know  something  of 
the  toil  and  sweat  and  disappointments  of  the  pro- 
ducer gnd  of  the  real  costs  of  production.  They  will 
themselves  develop  more  discriminating  tastes  and  will 
increasingly  call  for  higher  quality;  and  of  course  the 
demand  for  quality  in  the  long  run  spurs  the  farmer  to 
his  best  effort  and  best  profit.  On  the  whole,  it  will 
make  for  a  freer  consumption,  especially  of  fruits, 
vegetables  and  poultry  products,  which  can  usually  be 
grown  in  areas  near  the  market,  and  a  reduction  of 
costs  and  wastes  of  transportation,  storage  and  dis- 
tribution. 

This  twilight  zone  also  has  a  tremendous  significance 
in  an  educational  way.  It  is  working  itself  gradually 
into  the  system  of  public  education,  and  calls  for  trained 
administrators.  It  promises  to  send  students  in  largely 
increasing  numbers  to  the  agricultural  schools  and  col- 
leges. It  even  means  something  in  the  way  of  quan- 
tity production  and  ought  thereby  to  assist  in  solving 
the  problem  of  food  supply. 


CHAPTER  VI 

WANTED:    A  RURAL  POLICY 

The  title  of  this  chapter  seems  to  convey  the  idea  that 
a  rural  policy  does  not  exist  in  America  to-day.  Such 
a  statement  may  be  denied,  especially  among  govern- 
ment officials  and  scientists  who  for  years  have  been 
very  hard  at  work  on  definite  plans  for  the  improve- 
ment of  agriculture.  As  in  most  discussions,  conclu- 
sions depend  upon  definitions.  In  one  meaning  of  the 
word,  we  have  and  always  have  had  an  agricultural 
policy;  in  another,  and  we  believe  in  a  truer  and  much 
more  important  sense,  we  do  not  have  such  a  policy. 

We  may  think  of  a  policy  as  the  sum  of  things  ac- 
tually done  and  under  way.  These  activities  and  plans 
show  themselves  in  legislative  enactments,  in  the  work 
of  public  agencies  and  in  the  associated  efforts  of  farm- 
ers. The  reasons  for  them  may  be  found  in  speeches 
made  in  Congress,  in  addresses  at  agricultural  conven- 
tions of  various  sorts,  in  reports  of  committees  and 
commissions  of  many  kinds,  in  platforms  of  political 
parties,  in  the  farm  press,  in  the  formal  pronounce- 
ments of  great  farmers'  organizations.  A  democratic 
people  think  and  plan  in  obedience  to  certain  ideas  that 
are  traditionally  accepted  or  that  arise  out  of  new  condi- 
tions. For  there  is  always  a  philosophy,  even  if  un- 
expressed or  incomplete,  back  of  human  activities.  In 
this  sense  we  have  of  course  a  rural  policy.  It  is  com- 
posed of  many  items.  It  is  not  in  print.  If  you  ask 
for  it,  no  one  can  give  it  to  you;  but  it  exists. 

84 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  85 

But  a  true  policy  must  have  a  certain  completeness 
about  it.  It  can  be  rather  definitely  expressed  and  un- 
derstood. It  must  be  widely  and  generally  accepted; 
it  directs  efforts  and  governs  activities.  Government, 
farmers'  associations  and  individuals  will  join  in  a 
common  effort  for  one  large  end,  intelligently,  earn- 
estly, cooperatively.  This  sort  of  rural  policy  we  do 
not  have  in  America  to-day.  This  chapter  is  written 
as  a  plea  that  we  take  steps  as  soon  as  possible  to  se- 
cure it.  Indeed,  this  whole  book  grows  out  of  the 
earnest  conviction  that  perhaps  the  outstanding  defect 
of  our  American  agriculture  is  the  lack  of  a  rural 
policy.  We  must  have  such  a  policy  if  the  American 
farmer  is  to  adjust  himself  to  the  demands  of  the  New 
Day. 

Our  policy  in  the  past  has  consisted  of  three  main 
endeavors: 

1.  To  increase  agricultural  production,  chiefly  by 
opening  for  agricultural  use  as  much  land  as 
possible  and  settling  it  as  rapidly  as  possible; 
but  also  by  education,  exhortation,  expert  ad- 
vice and  government  subsidies  in  special  in- 
stances; 

2.  To  encourage  one-family  farms  owned  by  those 
who  till  them; 

3.  To  increase  as  much  as  possible  our  exports  of 
agricultural  products,  both  raw  and  manufac- 
tured. 

These  purposes  may  not  have  been  always  expressed 
clearly,  or  definitely  held  by  the  leaders,  but  the  trend 
of  our  legislation  for  nearly  a  century  was  in  these  di- 
rections.    There  are  those  who  believe  that  this  policy 


86     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

was  overdone.  Probably  in  the  main  it  was  the  one 
best  adapted  to  the  times.  The  American  farmer  con- 
quered a  continent  for  civilization  under  this  policy. 

The  farmers'  interests  for  the  first  two-thirds  of  the 
nineteenth  century  were  largely  educational  and  social. 
It  was  an  era  of  the  development  of  agricultural  fairs 
and  farmers'  clubs.  There  was  not  much  discussion 
of  economic  difficulties.  But  the  period  of  the  Civil 
War  saw  the  beginning  of  discussions  about  bad  busi- 
ness conditions  under  which  the  farmers  had  to  work, 
and  the  last  third  of  the  century  saw  the  rise  of  the  great 
farmers'  organizations.  These  various  voluntary  as- 
sociations of  farmers  have  grown  to  perfectly  enormous 
proportions.     They  may  be  grouped  as  follows: 

Associations  to  improve  production  —  live  stock, 
dairy,  horticultural  societies. 

Associations  to  improve  marketing  and  exchange  — 
credit  unions,  supply  associations,  cooperative  selling 
societies,  mutual  companies. 

Associations  to  improve  country  life  —  the  church, 
women's  clubs,  improvement  societies. 

Associations  of  a  general  or  inclusive  character  — 
the  Grange,  the  Farmers'  Union,  etc. 

We  also  have  an  elaborate  system  of  agencies  sup- 
ported at  public  expense  —  administrative,  such  as  na- 
tional and  state  department  of  agriculture,  boards  of 
education  and  of  health;  educational,  such  as  special 
agricultural  schools,  country  farm  bureaus,  agricultural 
colleges  and  experiment  stations. 

There  have  arisen  many  urban  agencies,  such  as 
manufacturing  concerns,  banks  and  boards  of  trade, 
which  have  a  genuine  concern  and  active  interest  in 
rural  affairs. 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  87 


POLICIES   BUT   NO    POLICY 

What,  therefore,  we  have  really  done  is  to  build 
much  machinery  designed  to  aid  agriculture,  most  of 
it  tremendously  effective;  but  we  have  set  it  up  without 
much  regard  to  unifying  the  enterprise  of  rural  im- 
provement, or  even  to  securing  cooperation  in  the  ma- 
chinery itself.  We  have,  for  example,  the  parts  of  a 
perfectly  enormous  plan  for  agricultural  education; 
there  is  nothing  comparable  to  it  elsewhere  in  the  world. 
The  statement  frequently  appears  in  print  and  is  made 
in  fervid  public  addresses  that  the  government  has  done 
something  for  every  interest  but  agriculture.  It  is  not 
true.  Probably  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  which 
has  developed  such  a  wide  variety  of  voluntary  col- 
lective or  associated  efforts  on  behalf  of  agriculture  and 
country  life  as  has  our  own.  Their  names  are  legion. 
But  in  large  measure  each  agency  "  does  that  which  is 
right  in  its  own  eyes."  There  is  no  agreement  as  to 
what  the  rural  problem  really  is  or  how  to  solve  it. 
There  is  no  statement  to  be  found  anywhere  clearly  in- 
dicating the  real  task  of  any  one  agency  nor  its  relation 
to  the  service  of  other  agencies.  There  is  no  clean-cut 
cooperation  of  available  forces  for  definite  purposes  or 
ends.  Even  in  so  well  developed  a  part  of  our  ma- 
chinery as  the  established  activities  of  agricultural  edu- 
cation, we  may  safely  assert  that  we  have  no  well 
rounded  policy. 

Perhaps  the  most  serious  feature  of  the  situation  is 
the  fact  that  so  often  ive  mistake  tJie  mill  for  the  grist. 
Most  of  the  questions  that  arise  in  the  extension  service 
of  nation  and  state  concern  themselves  with  machinery 
of  operation  rather  than  with  true  objectives.  If  you 
ask   the    average    agricultural    college    official    for    his 


88     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

policy  in  a  specific  field  of  rural  endeavor,  he  will  almost 
always  give  you  a  program  or  project  —  and  at  that 
a  program  of  methods  to  be  used  rather  than  a  list  of 
goals  to  be  achieved.  If  one  were  to  keep  an  accurate 
time  slip  of  subject  matter  of  discussion  in  the  typical 
state  Grange  meeting,  he  would  probably  find  that  not 
less  than  three-fourths  of  the  time  had  been  spent  in 
dealing  with  the  machinery  of  the  organization  against 
one-fourth  in  considering  the  problems  which  the  or- 
ganization is  intended  to  help  the  farmer  solve.  These 
tendencies  are  in  a  measure  simply  the  danger  common 
to  all  associated  effort,  what  the  sociologist  calls  "  in- 
stitutionalism."  School  and  church  and  government 
and  all  collective  agencies  are  tempted  to  magnify  the 
institution  itself,  rather  than  its  real  purpose.  One  of 
the  most  powerful  arguments  for  the  development  of  a 
definite  policy  is  that  it  will  tend  to  substitute  aims  or 
purposes  for  methods,  to  emphasize  ends  rather  than 
means,  the  grist  rather  than  the  mill.  We  might  well 
endorse  Lloyd  George  when  he  said,  "  I  deal  not  with 
plans,  not  with  details,  and  above  all  not  with  pro- 
grams. I  deal  with  objectives."  We  must  define  our 
agricultural  objective. 

In  the  best,  truest  and  most  important  sense  we  do 
not  now  have  an  American  rural  policy;  we  should  have 
one  and  we  should  have  it  soon. 

A    FEW    QUERIES 

It  is  quite  possible  that  some  influential  leaders  of 
our  various  agricultural  enterprises  still  remain  uncon- 
vinced of  the  need  of  a  policy  for  rural  affairs,  or  as- 
sert that  we  have  such  a  policy.  A  few  questions  may 
perhaps  serve  to  bring  out  more  clearly  the  fact  that 
we  are  trying  to  establish. 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  89 

Is  it  not  merely  good  sense  to  have  before  us  a  clear 
statement  of  just  what  is  involved  in  making  American 
agriculture  all  it  ought  to  be?  Yet  we  have  never  had 
such  a  statement  carefully  formulated  and  placed  be- 
fore our  people,  by  any  group  of  men  and  women  fully 
representing  all  the  various  aspects  of  the  rural  ques- 
tion. The  nearest  approach  was  the  report  of  the 
Roosevelt  Country  Life  Commission,  made  nearly  a 
decade  ago, —  which  Congress  refused  to  publish  for 
distribution ! 

Has  not  the  war  made  clear  to  all  thoughtful  people, 
what  ought  to  be  self-evident,  that  the  practical  prob- 
lems of  agriculture  not  only  cannot  be  divorced  from 
the  general  question  of  food  supply,  but  that  the  latter 
is  the  real  point  of  departure  in  determining  what  agri- 
culture ought  to  do  and  can  do?  But  this  adjustment 
of  production  to  consumption  of  food  has  never  been 
attempted  either  by  the  agencies  of  government  or  by 
the  farmers'  organizations.  The  former  have  for 
years  been  "  speeding  up  "  production,  with  tardy  at- 
tention to  distribution,  while  the  latter  have  been 
chiefly  concerned  with  the  fact  that  the  farmer  is  disad- 
vantaged in  his  buying  and  selling.  Even  the  war  has 
not  yet  unified  the  attack  on  the  food  problem  as  a 
whole;  emergency  enactments  by  Congress  seem  to  give 
duplicate  powers  to  both  the  Food  Administration  and 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  in  actual  adminis- 
tration there  has  never  been  a  definite  coordination  of 
either  purposes  or  activities. 

IVIay  we  not  learn  from  older  countries?  There 
are  those  of  course  who  persistently  hold  that  we  can- 
not learn  anything  worth  while  from  the  development 
of  European  agriculture.  To-day,  doubtless  the  mere 
suggestion  that  Germany,  for  illustration,  could  teach 


90     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

us  much  would  be  received  with  great  disapproval  in 
some  quarters.  No  one  who  has  come  into  even  super- 
ficial contact  with  the  organized  activities  of  agricul- 
ture in  almost  any  enlightened  European  country  can 
but  feel  keenly  the  loss  to  American  agriculture  through 
our  failure  to  profit  by  European  experience.  Indi- 
viduals have  written  about  conditions,  the  government 
has  published  a  few  documents  on  the  subject,  and  five 
years  ago  the  American  Commission  made  its  tour  of 
Europe  for  the  purpose  of  studying  chiefly  agricultural 
credit,  and  our  present  farm  land  bank  system  is  due 
in  great  measure  to  the  Commission.  We  have  had  a 
few  reports  from  our  consuls  concerning  agriculture. 
Experts  have  scoured  the  world  in  a  search  for  new 
varieties  of  plants.  But  we  have  quite  neglected  to 
provide  official  expert  means  for  learning,  for  example, 
about  business  cooperation  in  agriculture,  which  is 
one  of  our  most  serious  problems  and  in  which  the 
Europeans  are  clearly  our  masters.  There  is  every 
argument  for  maintaining  a  group  of  qualified  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  constantly 
in  service  in  foreign  lands,  studying  all  phases  of  the 
rural  problem,  and  bringing  back  to  us  such  lessons  as 
are  applicable  here. 

Why  should  not  we,  in  common  with  other  nations, 
consider  agriculture  after  the  war?  England  has  its 
Selborne  report.  Books  are  being  written  in  France. 
The  Italian  War  Cabinet  has  issued  a  statement  on  the 
subject.  It  is  clear,  is  it  not,  that  the  agricultural 
policy  of  Europe  will  profoundly  affect  our  own  agri- 
culture? Available  material  from  England  seems  to 
indicate  a  purpose  "  to  make  the  Empire  independent 
of  other  countries  in  respect  to  food  supplies."  Per- 
haps this  aim  is  the  proper  one.     But  what  of  its  effect 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  91 

upon  the  American  farmer?  We  exported  to  England 
alone  in  1913  food  products  to  the  value  of  more  than 
$512,000,000.  Does  England  expect  to  sell  us  goods 
after  the  war?  If  so,  what  shall  we  pay  her  in? 
What  shall  we  do  with  those  $512,000,000  worth  of 
food  we  used  to  send  her? 

Well-founded  rumor  states  that  definite  and  large 
plans  have  already  been  formulated  by  American  manu- 
facturers, bankers,  and  merchants,  for  a  vast  enlarge- 
ment of  our  trade  with  South  America.  With  what  is 
South  America  to  pay  us  for  the  goods  we  send  her? 
Probably  to  a  very  considerable  extent  in  wheat  and 
meat.  Now  these  are  among  the  great  sub-industries 
of  our  American  agriculture.  What  effect  will  the  new 
trade  with  our  southern  neighbors  have  then  upon 
American  agriculture?  Our  imports  from  South 
America  increased  from  $200,000,000  in  19 14  to 
$550,000,000  in  19 17.  To  what  extent  was  this  in- 
crease made  up  of  food  products  that  can  be  grown  in 
this  country?  Is  there  any  one  studying  these  currents 
or  tendencies,  any  one  in  touch  with  the  South  American 
statesmen  who  are  making  their  policies?  Has  the 
war  taught  us  nothing  about  economic  preparedness? 
Is  agriculture  still  to  be  the  last  thing  considered  in  the 
business  discussions  of  the  world?  Why  should  not 
official  representatives  of  our  government,  presumably 
officials  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, be  sent  to  South  America  as  well  as  into  our  own 
business  circles,  to  discover  tendencies,  to  discuss  prin- 
ciples and  to  help  formulate  programs  with  respect  to 
the  effect  of  all  these  new  plans  upon  American  agri- 
culture ? 

The  whole  world  is  talking  "  reconstruction."  La- 
bor has  assumed  that  its  intere:ts  are  paramount  in 


92     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  New  Day.  Why  neglect  the  largest  group  of  la- 
borers, the  farmers?  Why  are  we  not  studying  the 
problems  that  the  war  will  bring  to  our  farming  popu- 
lation? A  recent  book  deals  with  American  problems 
of  reconstruction.  Yet  it  not  only  has  no  chapter  that 
considers  agriculture  aside  from  one  on  distribution, 
but  the  words  "  agriculture  "  or  "  farm  "  are  not  found 
in  the  index.  Is  the  subject  unimportant  or  is  there  no 
one  capable  of  dealing  with  it? 

One  of  the  great  wastes  in  our  food  supply  is  the 
constant  re-shipment  of  products.  Thousands  of  small 
cities  bring  in  food  products  from  rather  distant  dis- 
tributing centers  of  precisely  the  same  type  as  those 
grown  in  the  surrounding  country  which  in  turn  are  sent 
to  a  distant  market.  Shall  we  never  have  an  adequate 
study  of  this  waste  and  how  it  may  possibly  be  rem- 
edied? 

Is  there  any  statd  in  the  Union  that  has  inventoried 
its  agricultural  resources  or  developed  a  consistent  agri- 
cultural program  on  which  all  agencies  are  at  work  for 
a  common  end? 

For  nearly  twenty  years,  the  market  milk  problem 
in  the  great  eastern  cities  has  been  one  of  increasing 
seriousness  and  difficulty.  In  New  England,  for  ex- 
ample, dairy  farmers,  pestered  with  attempts  at  legis- 
lation and  control,  have  been  going  out  of  business. 
Valuable  studies  have  been  made,  but  the  difficulty  has 
not  as  yet  been  "  tackled  "  in  the  only  way  in  which  it 
can  be  solved  —  that  is,  as  a  ivhole.  Only  when  the 
entire  problem  is  viewed  as  a  unit,  and  producers,  dis- 
tributors and  consumers,  together  with  investigators, 
teachers  and  regulatory  officials,  come  together  in  a 
definite  consistent  effort,  each  to  do  his  part  in  work- 
ing   out    a    sound    dairy    policy    for    New    England 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  93 

—  only  then  will   the   dairy  farmers   get  permanent 
relief. 

LAND   FOR   RETURNING   SOLDIERS 

The  most  recent  and  most  serious  illustration  of  our 
lack  of  a  rural  policy  relates  to  providing  lands  for  re- 
turning soldiers.  Last  summer  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  addressed  an  earnest  letter  to  the  President, 
urging  a  plan  of  land  development  by  which  we  should 
know  the  possibilities  of  reclaiming  arid,  wet  and  cut- 
over  lands,  and  a  scheme  of  enabling  the  returning  sol- 
dier to  take  a  parcel  of  land,  pay  for  it  over  a  long  term 
and  make  it  his  home.  The  amount  of  the  land  that 
could  thus  be  brought  into  cultivation,  it  is  estimated, 
would  be  all  the  way  from  one  hundred  million  acres 
to  perhaps  three  or  four  times  that  amount.  Provision 
was  to  be  made  by  which  these  farmers  would  be  as- 
sisted by  technical  experts  in  building  up  their  farms. 

One  cannot  question  the  sincerity  of  the  Secretary 
nor  the  desirability  of  insuring  satisfactory  employ- 
ment for  returning  soldiers.  But  the  plan  is  open  to 
many  and  serious  objections.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  large 
number  of  returning  soldiers,  not  already  tied  up  with 
the  soil,  will  want  to  go  to  the  land  permanently.  We 
now  have  about  five  hundred  million  acres  of  im- 
proved land  in  this  country.  The  addition  of  60%  or 
even  of  20%  to  this  area  within  a  few  years  would  be 
a  most  serious  menace  to  the  present  farmers  who  al- 
ready suffer  from  competition.  Of  course  if  the  food 
needs  of  the  world  require  the  use  of  this  extra  land, 
well  and  good.  The  project  as  announced  by  the  Sec- 
retary Is  primarily  an  engineering  program.  Appar- 
ently no  consideration  had  been  given  to  what  crops 
could  be  grown  on  this  land,  the  need  of  those  crops. 


94     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

how  to  market  them,  or  to  similar  problems.  There 
is  no  provision  for  furnishing  farmers  with  capital 
which  they  need  for  their  requirements. 

The  main  objection  to  this  plan  does  not  consist  at  all 
in  details  such  as  these,  but  in  the  fundamental  diffi- 
culty that  these  plans,  good  or  bad,  have  not  been  de- 
veloped as  a  part  of  an  agricultural  policy.  Thus  far, 
there  is  no  evidence  that  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture was  consulted.  Agricultural  experts  in  the  vari- 
ous agricultural  colleges  have  not  been  consulted,  and 
what  is  still  more  important,  the  great  farmers'  or- 
ganizations have  not  been  asked  their  judgment  as  to 
the  effect  of  this  development  upon  the  farmer.  It  is 
simply  another  illustration  of  the  fact  that  we  do  not 
have  a  consistent  agricultural  policy  nor  at  present  the 
machinery  for  developing  it.  We  still  work  in  groups 
and  not  as  a  whole. 

WHO    IS    TO    BLAME? 

This  question  will  not  be  answered  in  this  book  ex- 
cept by  saying,  "  Nobody  in  particular;  all  of  us  in 
general."  These  illustrations  are  not  given  to  point 
the  finger  of  adverse  criticisms  at  any  official,  govern- 
mental agency  or  farmers'  association,  but  merely  to 
try  to  make  more  real  the  fact  of  our  lack  of  an  agri- 
cultural policy  and  the  pressing  need  of  our  being  about 
the  business  of  securing  one.  We  have  all  been  short- 
sighted. Each  man  and  each  agency  has  been  busy 
in  his  own  field,  so  busy  as  to  forget  the  farm  as  a 
whole.  There  has  been  a  marvelous  development  of 
agricultural  knowledge  and  enterprise  during  the  last 
decade  or  so,  and  it  has  been  difficult  even  for  special- 
ists to  "  keep  up  "  in  their  own  field.  Agriculture  is  a 
tremendously   big,    complex,    scattered    business.      Ef- 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  95 

forts  at  cooperation  often  fail  because  of  personal  or 
institutional  conservatism  or  jealousies,  or  natural  limi- 
tations of  either  vision  or  power.  Congress  and  the 
legislatures  frequently  quite  ignore  expert  advice. 
Public  funds,  great  as  they  have  been,  have  been  grossly 
inadequate  for  the  full  measure  of  the  task. 

The  war  has  forced  the  issue.  American  agricul- 
ture must  be  100  per  cent,  efficient.  It  must  be  treated 
as  a  unit.  We  must  plan  for  its  best  interests  as  a 
whole.     We  must  have  a  rural  policy. 

THE    ELEMENTS    OF   A   TRUE    POLICY 

What  do  we  mean  by  a  real  policy?  What  are  Its 
tests?  How  may  we  recognize  it  when  we  see  it? 
What  are  the  elements  of  a  "  policy  "? 

I.  A  Body  of  Principles.  A  policy,  first  of  all, 
must  consist  of  a  body  of  principles  which  are  funda- 
mental in  determining  the  direction  in  which  efforts  are 
applied.  Some  of  the  things  that  we  must  definitely 
determine  before  we  can  have  a  real  agricultural  policy 
are  such  items  as  the  following: 

I.  Shall  we  attempt  to  grow  practically  all  of  our 
own  food  and  other  soil  grown  products,  or  shall  we 
permit  other  countries  to  export  to  us  such  products 
even  though  we  can  grow  them  here?  Shall  we  seek 
to  grow  a  surplus  from  our  soil  to  sell  abroad?  In 
both  cases,  the  answer  will  come  only  in  connection  with 
a  national  policy  concerning  economic  relationships 
with  other  nations.  Can  we  grow  these  products  as 
cheaply  as  can  other  countries  and  if  we  can,  what 
effect  will  this  low  cost  of  production  have  upon  our 
farmers?  If  we  desire  to  sell  our  manufactured 
products  in  foreign  markets,  shall  we  take  food  prod- 
ucts in  exchange? 


96    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

2.  In  the  future,  what  shall  be  our  definite  purpose 
with  respect  to  the  control  of  the  farm  land?  Are  we 
willing  that  it  should  go  into  the  hands  of  large  land 
holders  and  small  tenants,  or  do  we  desire  to  perpet- 
uate the  family-size  farm  owned  and  worked  by  the 
man  who  lives  upon  it? 

3.  Shall  we  deliberately  plan  for  the  zoning  of  agri- 
cultural production  so  that  each  community,  county, 
district,  state  or  region  shall  grow  those  products  and 
those  alone  which  it  can  produce  to  best  advantage  in 
competition  with  other  parts  of  the  country  and  of  the 
world? 

4.  Shall  our  plans  of  distributing  food  products  be 
left  to  the  skill  of  the  individual  farmer,  dealing  with 
the  present  transporters  and  handlers  of  soil-grown 
products,  or  shall  we  encourage  on  a  large  scale  col- 
lective bargaining  by  farmers,  both  In  buying  and  sell- 
ing? Shall  we  supplement  the  latter  plan  with  gov- 
ernment regulation  or  management  or  ownership  of  the 
machinery  of  food  distribution? 

5.  Shall  we  develop  a  comprehensive  system  of  pro- 
tection and  Insurance,  either  through  government  or 
through  cooperative  means,  wdth  respect  to  protec- 
tion not  only  against  Insect  pests  and  diseases, 
but  also  against  fire,  flood,  drouth,  hall,  tornado, 
etc.? 

6.  Shall  our  agricultural  educational  system  attempt 
to  reach  effectively  every  worker  on  the  land !  Shall 
it  Include  the  economic  and  social  problems  of  Ameri- 
can farm  life?     Or  shall  It  be  wholly  technical? 

These  and  similar  queries  are  matters  of  fundamen- 
tal aim  and  purpose.  They  lie  at  the  root  of  a  real 
policy. 

II.  A  Program.     There  must  be  a  definite  scheme 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  97 

of  operations,  of  goals  to  be  sought.     This  program 
should  be  based  upon: 

1.  Adequate  Knowledge.  We  need  to  know  the 
facts.  We  must  have  command  of  resources,  under- 
stand needs  and  realize  advantages,  disadvantages,  op- 
portunities, possibilities.  This  knowledge  by  no  means 
includes  solely  physical  facts  regarding  soil,  climate  and 
the  like,  but  must  embrace  all  economic  and  social  con- 
siderations that  bear  upon  the  success  or  failure  of 
agriculture  and  country  life. 

2.  Definite  Purposes.  The  real  aims  that  are 
sought  in  an  improved  agriculture  should  be  fairly 
clear.  What  is  the  problem  we  are  set  to  solve? 
Where  do  we  hope  to  arrive  as  a  result  of  our  efforts? 

3.  Effective  Methods.  A  policy  must  be  reason- 
ably clear  as  to  what  are  believed,  by  those  most  com- 
petent to  judge,  to  be  the  very  best  methods  of  pro- 
cedure by  which  the  desired  ends  may  be  gained  or  at 
least  approximated. 

III.  Machinery.  There  must  be  appropriate  agen- 
cies to  carry  out  the  program. 

1.  Institutions.  We  assume  the  fundamental  need 
of  group  effort.  We  must  rely  upon  the  individual 
farmer  to  do  his  part  of  the  work  that  needs  doing, 
but  we  are  sure  that  the  great  mass  of  the  seven  mil- 
lions of  farmers  in  America  can  be  brought  into  a  com- 
mon purpose  only  through  adequate  institutions  or 
agencies  of  cooperative  effort. 

2.  Division  of  Labor.  These  agencies  must  divide 
the  field  of  labor.  Each  must  find  its  particular  task, 
seek  its  function.  There  should  be  neither  overlapping 
of  effort  nor  overlooking  of  tasks  to  be  performed. 
The  government  should  not  try  to  do  what  the  Grange 
can  better  do,  nor  the  Grange  to  do  what  the  church 


98     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

can  better  do,  nor  the  church  to  do  what  the   farm 
bureau  can  better  do  —  each  agency  to  its  job. 

3.  Institutional  Efficiency.  Each  agency  should 
make  itself  as  effective  as  possible  in  its  own  field.  It 
should  have  a  part  in  the  making  of  the  policy  and 
should  support  it  loyally.  But  it  should  make  for  itself 
a  definite  policy  and  a  clear-cut  program  of  operations. 

4.  Cooperation.  There  should  be  the  heartiest  pos- 
sible cooperation  among  the  various  agencies,  each  mak- 
ing, in  common  with  the  others,  a  definite  effort  to  help 
carry  out  the  program. 

IV.  General  Needs.  In  general  there  are  needed 
also 

1.  A  Program  Maker.  This  must  necessarily  be  a 
body  representing  fully  the  various  agencies  and  in- 
terests. No  one  agency,  not  even  that  of  government, 
can  impose  a  policy  on  the  others. 

2.  Adjustments.  We  must  recognize  the  many  re- 
lationships of  any  part  of  the  rural  problem  and  the 
constant  adjustment  and  readjustment  that  are  thus 
made  necessary. 

3.  Utilization  of  Laws  of  Progress.  We  should 
utilize  the  two  great  laws  of  social  progress:  (A)  the 
law  of  resident  forces  under  which  we  learn  to  depend, 
"  in  the  long  run,"  upon  local  and  individual  groups 
and  agencies  for  the  real  work;  and  (B)  the  law  of 
external  stimulus  by  which  we  keep  prodding,  as  it 
were,  the  local  effort  by  information,  interchange  of 
experience  and  even  urgings  and  financial  aid  from 
sources  outside  the  local  groups. 

4.  Discussion.  It  is  necessary  to  develop  means  for 
constant  discussion  of  the  issues  involved,  of  ends  and 
of  means,  of  methods  and  the  checking  of  results. 

5.  Leadership.     The  discovery,   training  and  utili- 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY  99 

zation  of  personal  leadership,  lay  and  professional, 
volunteer  and  paid,  is  vital. 

6.  The  Rest  of  the  People.  We  must  also  recognize 
that  the  people  of  the  nation  as  a  whole  and  the  welfare 
of  the  entire  country  must  be  taken  into  consideration 
in  an  agricultural  policy  that  is  best  for  the  farmer  and 
all  the  farmers,  but  we  want  also  a  policy  that,  in  the 
long  run,  will  be  best  for  the  country,  and  we  should 
have,  if  possible,  the  support  of  the  entire  country  on 
behalf  of  the  widest  rural  policy. 

Perhaps  this  outline  will  make  clearer  than  anything 
so  far  said,  how  deficient  we  are  in  the  making  of  a 
policy  in  our  rural  affairs,  as  well  as  the  ideal  which 
the  greatest  efficiency  demands  that  we  keep  in  mind. 

SOME    OBSERVATIONS 

It  may  be  worth  while  to  mention  a  few  topics  that 
are  sure  to  be  discussed  when  the  formulation  of  a 
rural  policy  is  seriously  undertaken. 

IVhat  Are  the  Main  Advantages  in  Naming  a  Pol- 
icy? A  well  developed  agricultural  policy  ought  to 
give  greater  certainty  of  aim  or  purpose.  Much  of 
our  educational  and  organizing  work  is  scattered  in  its 
aim  instead  of  being  bent  unrelentingly  toward  a  definite 
course.  A  clear  policy  ought  to  assist  in  avoiding 
duplication  of  effort.  Now  we  have  a  multiplicity  of 
agencies,  many  of  them  seeking  almost  the  same  ends 
and  frequently  overlapping  their  forces.  It  is  also 
noticeable  that  in  this  hodge-podge  of  effort,  due  not 
only  to  duplication  but  sometimes  to  friction  and  mis- 
understanding, many  important  fields  of  service  are 
neglected.  As  one  of  our  country  life  leaders  has  said, 
we  must  have  neither  "  overlapping  nor  overlooking." 
The  policy  ought  therefore  to  conserve  mightily  the 


loo    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

time,  the  energy  and  the  money  of  those  agencies  and 
individuals  that  are  at  work  on  behalf  of  agriculture 
and  country  life.  The  adoption  of  a  policy  once  more 
ought  to  insure  a  comprehtiisive  program.  One  needs 
but  to  glance  at  even  a  superficial  outline  of  the  farm- 
er's problem  to  realize  how  little  even  our  agricultural 
leaders  have  worked  in  terms  of  thorough-going,  well- 
balanced  development. 

fVill  Men  See  the  Need?  Until  very  recently  in- 
deed, there  has  been  almost  no  discussion  in  America 
about  an  agricultural  policy.  Indeed  responsible  of- 
ficials have  asserted  very  recently  that  we  already  have 
a  policy,  and  evidently  believe  that  there  is  no  need  for 
further  discussion  of  the  matter.  But  the  war  has 
raised  the  issue  in  a  way  that  will  not  down.  The 
experience  of  America's  participation  in  the  war  to  date 
has  brought  home  to  the  farmers  and  indeed  to  many 
of  the  public  agricultural  agencies  the  loss  of  effective- 
ness that  has  come  because  there  has  been  no  authori- 
tative program,  no  generous  use  of  available  forces,  no 
spokesmen  upon  which  the  government  could  rely  for 
an  expert  and  representative  opinion  concerning  the 
best  things  to  do  In  agriculture.  The  evidence  that 
men  are  beginning  to  realize  the  need  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  a  number  of  different  groups  are  now  at  work 
quite  Independently  of  each  other,  endeavoring  to 
formulate  an  agricultural  policy. 

Unity  Impossible.  It  may  be  argued  that  jealousies 
both  personal  and  institutional  will  prevent  even  the 
formulating  of  a  policy;  somebody  or  some  group  will 
want  the  credit  for  It  all.  It  Is  pitiably  true  that  the 
itch  for  glory  often  overmasters  the  passion  for  service. 
It  Is  a  severe  test  of  human  nature  when  individuals 
or  organizations  jump   into   the   arena,   carry  off   the 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY        loi 

prize  and  claim  the  credit  although,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
most  of  the  solid,  substantial  thinking  and  work  has 
been  done  by  others.  But  just  as  some  part  of  our 
education  to  do  things  comes  by  doing  them,  so  the 
spirit  of  cooperation  is  often  engendered  simply  by  co- 
operating. The  war  has  taught  us  many  lessons  in 
cooperation,  not  the  least  of  which  is  that  the  larger 
interest  of  the  country  and  indeed  the  larger  interest 
of  mankind  is  paramount. 

There  is  no  Policy  Maker.  This  is  true.  No  one 
seems  to  have  any  authority  to  make  an  agricultural 
policy.  No  branch  of  government,  no  farmers'  or- 
ganization, no  combination  of  the  two,  thus  far  is  uni- 
versally recognized  as  representative  of  the  most  ex- 
pert knowledge  combined  with  the  most  representative 
public  opinion.  This  is  precisely  one  of  the  problems 
in  an  agricultural  policy  itself.  It  is,  indeed,  a  part 
of  an  agricultural  policy  to  have  a  group  that  can  make 
a  policy  and  see  it  through. 

J  Policy  Impossible.  It  is  often  remarked  that  any- 
body can  make  a  paper  plan,  and  unfortunately  we 
have  been  far  too  content  with  paper  plans.  Resolu- 
tions numerous  as  the  sands  of  the  sea  have  been  passed 
for  fifty  years,  relative  to  farmers'  rights  and  interests. 
Some  of  them  have  been  as  seed  sown  in  good  ground 
but  most  of  them  never  come  to  fruit  bearing.  One 
must  admit  also  that  in  a  business  so  big  as  agriculture, 
so  widespread,  involving  so  many  people,  subject  to  so 
many  fluctuations,  it  is  out  of  the  question  to  make  and 
enforce  the  kind  of  policy,  for  example  that  a  big  manu- 
facturing firm  can  make  and  enforce,  and  we  know  that 
even  such  concerns  are  obliged  to  change  their  policies 
from  time  to  time.  Nevertheless,  while  wc  cannot 
change  the  course  of  the  Mississippi  River,  we  are  able 


I02    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

to  direct  the  flow  of  its  waters  for  good  rather  than  for 
evil.  The  mere  effort  to  work  together  for  common 
ends  of  itself  gathers  people  together  for  cooperating 
effort.  The  history  of  every  well  directed  farmers' 
organization  or  public  agency  proves  the  value  of  a 
policy.  The  next  step  is  simply  to  gain  the  larger  co- 
operation in  place  of  the  partial. 

A  Policy  Undesirable.  There  will  be  those  who 
will  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  a  real  policy  is  undesirable, 
and  they  will  point  to  autocratic  Germany.  They 
claim  that  a  nation  cannot  have  a  real  policy  and  ac- 
tually carry  it  out  unless  it  exercises  autocratic  power, 
a  thing  not  only  impossible  in  America,  but  even  if  it 
were  feasible,  would  be  mischievous  because  it  would 
make  automatons  of  farmers.  Here  again  we  must 
reach  the  middle  ground  of  common  sense  and  prac- 
ticability. When  we  leave  the  shores  of  the  present 
chaos  of  unregarded  effort,  in  agriculture,  we  do  not 
necessarily  seek  the  haven  of  enforced  militaristic  regu- 
lation of  individual  endeavor.  We  rather  seek  to  en- 
list the  intelligence,  the  self-interest  and  the  patriotism 
of  the  farmers,  and  the  agencies  which  they  have  cre- 
ated, in  behalf  of  a  well-planned,  economic,  cooperat- 
ing, stimulating  campaign  for  improved  conditions. 

A  Policy  Essential.  We  see  no  escape  from  the 
conclusion  that  the  time  is  upon  us  when  we  must  make 
some  sort  of  policy  for  agriculture.  The  need  of  it 
was  apparent  in  many  minds  even  before  the  war,  but 
the  New  Day  makes  an  imperative  demand  that  so- 
ciety shall  plan  for  its  future  good  and  plan  carefully 
and  intelligently  and  immediately.  It  would  be  tragic 
W'Cre  our  American  farmers  and  rural  agencies  to  fail 
to  learn  the  most  obvious  lessons  of  the  war. 

fVhoin  to  Consider.      It  is  exceedingly  important  in 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY        103 

making  a  policy  to  remember  the  special  interests  that 
are  to  be  taken  into  account.  There  is  a  remarkable 
tendency  on  the  part  of  people  to  plan  only  with  refer- 
ence to  themselves  or  the  special  interests  with  which 
they  are  concerned.  In  making  the  rural  policy,  we 
have  to  regard  at  least  three  elements. 

First  of  all,  there  is  the  individual  farmer;  his  In- 
terests, his  tastes,  his  needs,  his  capacities,  his  preju- 
dices are  part  of  the  material  with  which  we  deal.  A 
whole  chapter  in  this  book  will  be  devoted  to  an  attempt 
to  show  that  the  individual  farmer,  however,  can  most 
effectively  be  reached  if  he  is  approached  as  a  member 
of  a  small  group  —  the  local  rural  community. 

Then  we  have  the  associations  of  farmers.  Their 
names  are  legion.  These  more  nearly  represent  the 
farmers  than  do  any  governmental  agencies,  because 
they  are  made  up  of  farmers,  who  speak  the  farmer's 
language  and  enforce  the  farmer's  opinion.  It  is  true 
that  the  measures  they  advocate  may  not  always  be  wise 
or  scientifically  sound,  but  these  associations  constitute 
the  big  factor  in  agriculture.  If  there  should  arise  in 
America  any  tendency  on  the  part  of  publicly  supported 
agencies  to  ignore  the  power  of  volunteer  association  in 
agriculture  (or  to  overlook)  its  ultimate  worth  in  keep- 
ing the  farmers  a  body  of  sturdy,  independent  men  and 
women,  it  would  spell  the  decline  of  democracy. 

In  the  third  place,  we  must  remember  that  the  gov- 
ernment is  constantly  enlarging  its  functions  and  widen- 
ing the  range  of  its  services.  Governmental  machin- 
ery, therefore,  becomes  a  constantly  increasing  power; 
so  if  the  farmers'  associations  ignore  the  departments 
of  agriculture,  national  and  state,  the  colleges  and  ex- 
periment stations,  the  farm  bureaus  and  the  schools, 
they  cut  off  their  right  hands.      Democracy  needs  ex- 


104    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

perts;  to  cast  aside  the  skill,  the  knowledge,  the  fore- 
sight, the  judgment  of  these  specialists,  fallible  and  im- 
perfect as  they  are,  would  undermine  immediately 
any  attempt  to  operate  a  permanent  agricultural  pol- 
icy. No  one  of  these  interests  can  make  or  execute  a 
policy  by  itself.  Neither  the  individual  farmer  nor  the 
voluntary  associations  of  farmers,  nor  the  government 
itself  is  sufficient  for  the  task.  All  must  be  taken  into 
account  and  must  be  brought  together. 

An  Agricultural  Program  and  the  Food  Supply.  So 
far  as  we  know,  the  first  effort  in  America  to  outline 
in  conference  a  program  for  agricultural  activities  that 
took  as  its  starting  point  the  food  needs  of  the  time, 
was  made  in  St.  Louis  in  April,  19 17,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Secretary  Houston  of  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. (The  major  part  of  the  St.  Louis  statement 
appears  in  the  back  of  this  book.  See  Appendix  III.) 
This  statement  is  not  an  ideal  outline  of  a  rural  pro- 
gram. It  was  not  the  result  of  a  conference  of  all  the 
agricultural  agencies,  but  only  of  a  part  of  them.  It 
was  made  hastily.  It  was  frankly  a  war  measure.  It 
did  not  compass  the  entire  agricultural  problem.  But 
it  was  nevertheless  extremely  significant,  so  significant 
that  it  will  probably  go  down  into  history  as  the  turn- 
ing point  in  American  agriculture.  Before  it  was 
adopted,  we  had  no  comprehensive,  consistent  agricul- 
tural program  worked  out  by  a  responsible  group  of 
men  and  fitted  into  the  food  needs  of  the  people.  The 
St.  Louis  statement  was  in  itself  a  food  supply  pro- 
gram; it  was  made  in  conference;  it  called  for  central 
national  committees  of  both  farmers  and  experts;  it 
advocated  complete  machinery,  national,  state  and  lo- 
cal, for  carrying  out  the  program.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  machinery  urged  was  in  the  form  of  agri- 


WANTED:     A  RURAL  POLICY        105 

cultural  councils  —  national,   state   and  community,   a 
thing  new  to  our  American  agriculture. 

Breadth  and  Bigness.  Last  of  all,  let  us  observe 
that  a  rural  policy  must  be  just  as  big  and  as  broad  and 
as  far  reaching  as  is  the  American  rural  problem. 

THE    GREAT    AMERICAN    FARM 

Let  us  come  back  to  our  starting  point.  We  must 
think  of  all  the  farms  of  American  farmers  as  really 
one  big  farm,  and  we  must  endeavor  to  do  just  what 
the  good  farmer  would  do  in  answer  to  the  question, 
"  How  can  that  farm  be  made  more  efficient  and  how 
can  the  people  who  do  the  farming  be  made  more 
prosperous  and  happy?"  Once  we  get  firmly  in  our 
minds  this  very  simple  prescription  for  the  improve- 
ment of  American  agriculture  and  country  life,  we  will 
plan  for  the  development  of  American  farming  and  the 
welfare  of  the  American  farmer  and  his  family,  just  as 
if  we  were  dealing  with  one  big  farm  and  one  big 
family. 

MAKING   THE    POLICY    WORK 

There  are  two  great  forces  on  which  we  must  rely 
for  the  development  of  an  agricultural  policy  and  the 
working  out  of  a  rural  program.  They  are  education 
and  organization. 

Education,  used  in  the  broadest  sense,  must  include 
technical  knowledge,  ample  information  as  to  condi- 
tions, grasp  of  principles  and  enlightenment  as  to  ends 
and  means,  as  well  as  appreciation  of  broad  relation- 
ships and  of  obligations  as  well  as  rights. 

Organization  is  the  cociperation  of  all  the  factors, 
all  the  institutions,  all  the  individuals  and  groups  that 
can  assist  in  the  forward  movement  of  agriculture  and 
country  life. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE  RURAL  PEOPLE 

Education  is  the  life-blood  of  democracy;  ignorance 
the  ally  of  autocracy  and  of  all  predatory  forces.  If 
the  people  are  to  be  trusted,  they  must  be  trustworthy. 
The  recent  declaration  of  the  British  Labor  Party 
states  that  "  the  most  important  of  all  the  measures  of 
social  reconstruction  must  be  a  genuine  nationalization 
of  education  which  shall  get  rid  of  all  class  distinctions 
and  privileges  and  bring  effectively  within  the  reach  not 
only  of  every  boy  and  girl,  but  also  of  every  adult 
citizen,  all  the  training,  physical,  mental  and  moral, 
literary,  technical  and  artistic,  of  which  he  is  capable." 

The  instincts  of  the  American  farmer  in  this  respect 
are  sound  to  the  core.  A  prominent  leader  of  a  great 
farmers'  organization  was  recently  asked  what  were 
the  big  problems  of  American  farming.  He  put  first 
the  securing  of  an  adequate  system  of  education.  Re- 
peatedly have  the  formal  utterances  of  important  farm 
groups  and  their  leaders  given  the  same  rank  to  educa- 
tion;  they  recognize  the  hopelessness  of  agricultural 
improvement  apart  from  a  widespread,  effective  educa- 
tional scheme.  The  Grange  for  fifty  years  has  main- 
tained a  lecturer's  hour  as  a  regular  part  of  the  pro- 
ceedings at  every  subordinate  Grange  meeting.  It  has 
always  upheld  the  public  schools  and  the  agricultural 
colleges.      It  has  reports  of  committees  on  education  at 

io6 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     107 

every  state  and  national  meeting.  It  has  assisted  in 
developing  parents'  and  teachers'  associations.  Per- 
haps the  characteristic  feature  of  the  Grange  as  com- 
pared with  other  farm  organizations  is  its  insistence 
upon  education.  This  attitude  of  the  Grange  is  but  an 
expression  of  the  mind  of  the  better  farmers.  When 
the  farmers  began  to  settle  the  West,  they  carried  the 
school  with  them;  it  was  a  part  of  their  community  lug- 
gage, indispensable  at  a  time  when  luggage  was  a  bur- 
den. The  farmers'  own  efforts  to  improve  agriculture 
are  based  on  an  abundant  faith  in  education  as  a  pre- 
requisite to  all  else  —  upon  the  belief  that  if  the  farmer 
is  educated  all  other  things  will  follow;  but  that  if  he 
is  ignorant,  there  is  little  chance  for  real  gains.  The 
farmer  knows  that  the  mind  is  somewhat  lil^e  one  of 
his  fields  —  cultivation  is  half  the  crop. 

DEFECTS    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Nevertheless,  one  of  the  most  serious  difficulties  in 
adjusting  the  farmer  to  the  New  Day  is  the  fact  that 
rural  schools  are  not  keeping  step  with  the  needs  of  the 
time.  Unfortunately,  in  spite  of  their  belief  in  educa- 
tion, the  farmers  themselves  block  the  progress  of  edu- 
cation all  too  often,  through  an  unwillingness  to  make 
changes  in  antiquated  equipment  and  systems,  or 
through  sheer  parsimony  in  financial  support.  There 
is  often  lack  of  local  enthusiasm  and  ideals.  Farmers 
in  many  regions  are  all  too  content  with  what  they  have. 
Sometimes  they  are  simply  stubborn,  desirous  of  doing 
as  they  please  and  resenting  outside  advice  or  sugges- 
tions. As  one  of  our  agricultural  leaders  has  said, 
democracy  and  education  oftentimes  have  been  inter- 
preted as  being  the  right  for  any  community  to  have  as 
poor  schools  as  they  choose  to  have.      There  are  farm- 


io8     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ers  who  do  not  realize  that  the  school  of  yesterday 
will  not  answer  as  the  school  of  to-morrow. 

Not  all  of  the  difficulties  in  developing  the  rural 
schools  are  to  be  laid  at  the  door  of  the  farmer.  State 
aid  is  often  inadequate.  Supervision  is  not  seldom 
poor.  School  officials  are  often  obliged  to  pay  too 
much  attention  to  politics;  sometimes  they  endeavor  to 
transplant  bodily  the  city  school  system  to  the  country. 
There  is  no  national  program  of  rural  education  based 
upon  the  fundamental  relationships  between  education 
and  rural  democracy.  We  can  progress  rapidly  only 
when  we  have  a  program  that  is  vital  and  practicable, 
one  that  appeals  to  the  farmers  and  has  their  support. 
We  need  the  vision  to  organize  a  great  national  move- 
ment in  behalf  of  the  rural  schools  of  America. 

SOME    ITEMS    OF    RURAL    SCHOOL    IMPROVEMENT 

The  rural  schools  should  be  as  good  as  the  city 
schools.  They  may  not  teach  the  same  subjects  or  in 
the  same  way,  but  the  country  boy  and  girl  in  all  justice 
should  have  opportunities  equal  to  any  offered  any- 
where. Some  farmers  do  not  realize  how  backward 
many  rural  schools  are.  And  perhaps  some  educators 
do  not  realize  what  good  results  actually  come  from 
the  better  class  of  country  schools.  But  we  can  hardly 
say  with  truth  that  the  education  given  in  rural  schools 
to-day  is  as  good  as  that  given  in  the  cities. 

We  must  insure  better  teaching -r- far,  far  better 
teaching.  There  is  an  astonishing  amount  of  good 
teaching  in  the  country  schools,  but  it  is  really  a  marvel 
that  it  is  as  good  as  it  is.  The  majority  of  rural  teach- 
ers are  not  properly  trained.  They  get  very  small  pay, 
they  stay  in  the  school  a  very  short  time.  Reforms  at 
these  points  are  fundamental  —  higher  salaries  for  bet- 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     109 

ter  trained  teachers,  longer  periods  of  employment  and 
the  securing  of  teachers  who  will  become  community 
leaders. 

The  effort  to  establish  the  consolidated  or  central- 
ized school  has  been  going  on  quite  strongly  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  years.  The  plan  itself  is  making  rather  slow 
headway.  But  wherever  it  has  been  tried,  it  has 
proved  a  success.  It  is  amazing  that  in  many  parts 
of  our  country  the  farmers  have  been  so  slow  to  meet 
the  educators  half  way  on  this  subject.  Of  course, 
there  are  difficulties,  bad  roads  are  among  them;  be- 
cause there  must  be  transportation  of  pupils  if  there  is 
to  be  a  consolidated  school.  The  consolidated  school 
is  more  costly  in  money  than  the  old  district  school 
system,  but  it  is  far  more  efficient  as  an  educational  mill. 
It  permits  better  supervision  and  gives  a  chance  for  the 
employment  of  better  trained  teachers  at  a  better  wage. 
It  allows  them  to  specialize  in  certain  subjects  or  with 
certain  grades  of  students.  It  secures  a  better  course 
of  study  and  it  more  easily  provides  "  teacherages  " 
or  dwellings  for  the  teachers,  and  consequently  makes 
the  school  faculty  a  part  of  the  community  leadership. 
It  makes  possible  a  high  school  in  many  communities 
that  otherwise  would  be  deprived  of  it.  Agriculture 
has  been  prescribed  in  some  states  as  a  required  subject 
in  the  grades  of  the  rural  schools.  It  Is  a  useless  law 
and  an  unfortunate  requirement  unless  it  can  be  taught 
by  teachers  trained  In  agriculture.  The  reason  for 
introducing  agriculture  and  country  life  subjects  Into 
the  average  country  school  Is  not  primarily  to  educate 
for  agriculture,  but  to  educate  by  means  of  agriculture. 
There  comes  a  time,  it  Is  true,  when  a  boy  must  make 
his  choice  and  If  he  Is  to  be  a  farmer,  he  ought  to  be 
definitely    and    thoroughly    educated    for    agriculture. 


no  THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

But  it  would  be  absolutely  mischievous  to  plan  the  rural 
school  system  on  such  a  basis  as  to  direct  all  the  boys 
and  girls  back  to  the  farm  and  to  make  it  difficult  or 
impossible  for  them  to  compete  with  the  city  boy  or 
girl  in  other  professions  and  occupations  of  life.  One 
reason  for  introducing  agriculture  into  the  grades  of 
the  country  schools  is  the  educational  value  of  using 
the  surroundings  of  the  pupil  as  a  means  of  education. 
Natural  scenery,  the  business  of  the  community,  prob- 
lems of  the  adults,  are  the  real  materials  of  education. 
The  pupil  is  to  be  encouraged  to  ask  questions  about 
these  things,  to  get  the  meaning  of  them,  to  see  if  he 
himself  has  any  relation  to  such  questions.  It  is  fre- 
quently asserted  that  the  course  of  study  and  the  text 
books  used  in  the  country  schools  are  of  such  a  charac- 
ter that  the  pupils  are  becoming  interested  in  the  prob- 
lems of  the  city  rather  than  the  problems  of  the  coun- 
try; many  teachers  in  the  country  schools  are  them- 
selves looking  toward  the  city.  This  is  a  sound  crit- 
icism, but  the  remedy  may  be  carried  too  far.  An 
assumption  that  the  schooling  of  the  country  boy  and 
girl  should  merely  train  for  life  in  the  country  is  disas- 
trous. If  one  were  required  to  choose  between  a  coun- 
try school  that  gave  a  first  class  general  education,  but 
with  no  agriculture,  and  a  technical  or  vocational  course 
without  the  facilities  of  a  general  education,  there 
would  be  no  hesitation  In  the  decision.  Far  more  im- 
portant than  a  specialized  training  for  agriculture,  is  a 
real,  thorough,  vital  education.  Fortunately  we  need 
not  be  obliged  to  make  such  a  choice,  because  a  really 
good  system  of  rural  education  will  include  an  ample 
amount  of  training  for  the  business  of  agriculture,  and 
a  good  training  for  farming  will  not  neglect  to  teach  the 
pupils  that  man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone. 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     iii 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  the  high  school  is  the  "  peo- 
ple's college  "  and  there  is  a  rapidly  growing  tendency 
in  our  city  high  schools  to  offer  what  is  to-day  regarded 
as  normally  the  first  two  years  of  college  work.  In 
some  of  our  smaller  cities  and  larger  villages,  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  boys  and  particularly  of  the 
girls  go  on  through  the  high  school.  It  is  here,  in  the 
high  school  advantages,  that  the  discrepancy  between 
our  city  school  opportunities  and  our  country  school 
opportunities  shows  at  its  worst.  The  democratic 
movement  everywhere  to-day  looks  toward  keeping  the 
boy  and  the  girl  in  school  to  the  age  of  i6  rather  than 
of  14,  and  there  are  those  who  advocate  compulsory 
part  time  schooling  at  least  up  to  the  age  of  18.  The 
people  themselves  are  beginning  to  be  convinced  that  it 
is  worth  while  for  each  boy  and  girl  to  get  all  the 
formal  organized  teaching  that  is  possible  as  prepara- 
tion for  occupation.  But  that  is  not  all  of  it.  There 
is  a  growing  belief  among  the  masses  of  the  people  that 
one  of  the  great  advantages  of  keeping  the  boys  and 
girls  in  school  for  a  longer  period  is  that  they  may  be 
better  fitted  for  the  responsibilities  of  democracy.  Of 
course,  this  calls  for  vast  changes  in  our  high  school 
work.  It  means  that  not  merely  vocational  training  is 
to  be  given  boys  and  girls  of  the  ages  of  14  to  18,  but 
also  preparation  to  help  meet  the  common  problems  of 
citizenship.  Now  if  the  farmers  cannot  have  the  ad- 
vantages that  are  rapidly  coming  to  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  so-called  working  people  in  the  city,  agri- 
culture is  destined  to  drop  behind  slowly  but  surely. 
It  is  an  encouraging  fact  that  In  many  of  the  larger  agri- 
cultural sections  of  our  country  an  unusual  proportion 
of  the  farm  boys  and  girls  go  on  to  high  school  and 
even  to  college.      But  over  against  that  Is  the  sad  fact 


112     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

that  among  four-fifths  of  our  farming  people,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  boys  and  girls  do  not  even  finish  the  eighth 
grade. 

The  New  Day  demands  radical  thinking  and  decisive 
action  on  the  part  of  the  farmers  as  well  as  on  the  part 
of  educators,  concerning  the  rural  school  system. 
Farmers  doubtless  will  object  to  raising  the  school  age 
to  1 6,  because  they  feel  that  they  need  the  work  of  the 
children  on  the  farm.  But  there  are  devices  that  will 
help  to  modify  the  immediate  economic  disadvantages 
of  lengthened  schooling.  Among  these  devices  are  the 
part-time  school  and  continuation  schools.  The  exten- 
sion of  the  present  plan  of  winter  short  courses  in  agri- 
culture offered  by  our  agricultural  schools  and  colleges 
ought  to  meet  the  situation.  If  we  could  have  a  system 
by  which  In  practically  every  community  in  America 
there  were  winter  schools  of  four  months  for  farm  boys 
and  girls  of  the  age  of  1 6  to  1 8  (assuming  the  school 
age  will  be  raised  to  i6;  otherwise  from  14  to  18)  we 
would  at  once  take  a  long  step  in  advance.  These 
schools  should  be  agricultural  in  character  but  not  con- 
fined to  agriculture.  The  farmer  and  his  wife  In  a 
rural  democracy  need  all  the  agriculture  and  home  mak- 
ing education  that  they  can  get,  likewise  need  all  the 
possible  stimulation  to  closer  thinking  about  the  big 
problems  of  work  and  life. 

The  so-called  "  practical  "  farmer,  the  narrowly  vo- 
cational education  advocate,  and  the  conservative  "  lib- 
eral "  educator  are  together  responsible  for  one  of  the 
most  serious  failures  of  our  rural  school  system  —  the 
neglect  of  education  of  our  youth  in  the  economic  and 
social  questions  of  the  time.  The  New  Day  will  bring 
these  questions  to  the  very  front.  Indeed,  they  are  the 
main  questions  of  the  New  Day.      How  shall  the  hu- 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     113 

man  race  better  learn  to  gain  wealth,  honestly  and  effi- 
ciently and  distribute  it  fairly  and  at  the  same  time  live 
together  in  a  more  friendly  way?  Unless  these  themes 
are  put  into  the  schools,  democracy  does  not  get  its 
proper  education.  Much  the  same  thing  may  be  said 
in  regard  to  literature,  also  to  art,  especially  music. 
How  the  war  has  emphasized  the  value  of  music  as  a 
stimulus  to  the  soldier  and  how  the  great  movement  for 
community  singing  that  has  swept  over  the  country  has 
developed  patriotism  and  common  purpose! 

It  is  clear  that  all  these  reforms  and  redirections  of 
our  rural  school  system  will  cost  money,  a  great  deal 
of  money.  But  we  must  regard  schooling  as  not  a 
luxury,  but  a  necessity.  A  good  schooling  may  cost 
twice  as  much  as  a  poor  schooling,  but  is  worth  ten 
times  as  much.  There  is  no  better  scheme  of  national 
bargaining  than  to  spend  money  needed  for  a  good 
school  system.  Let  us  also  recognize  the  fact  that 
these  improvements  in  our  rural  school  system  cannot 
be  made  if  the  local  farm  communities  are  left  to  do  it 
alone,  or  if  they  alone  are  obliged  to  pay  the  bills.  The 
farmers  must  give  up  some  of  their  cherished  "  rights  " 
in  respect  to  the  management  of  the  little  local  school, 
not  because  we  want  an  educational  autocracy,  but  be- 
cause in  this  day  of  scientific  efficiency  all  school  systems 
must  yield  to  the  management  of  wise,  trained,  broad- 
minded  experts  in  education.  We  need  a  larger 
amount  of  state  aid  for  local  schools.  The  super- 
visors of  our  school  systems,  both  county  and  state, 
should  be  taken  out  of  politics  at  the  first  opportunity. 
These  educational  positions  should  no  more  be  political 
in  character  than  the  pastorates  of  the  church.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  mischievous  mistakes  of  democracy 
to  suppose  that   a   Democratic  or   Republican  county 


114    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

superintendent  of  schools  is  better  than  the  other,  ac- 
cording to  one's  view  of  political  things.  It  is  one  of 
the  left-overs  of  an  antiquated  attitude  toward  the 
management  of  public  affairs  by  the  people.  What  the 
people  now  demand  is  educational  efficiency  and  not  po- 
litical attachment.  They  want  educational  leaders  who 
are  not  faddists  but  real  experts,  who  are  given  both 
authority  and  money  to  carry  out  wise  plans,  unham- 
pered by  fear  of  political  interferences.  It  is  probable 
that  our  city  school  systems  suffer  more  than  do  our 
rural  schools  from  politics.  But  the  evil  is  a  national 
one  in  both  city  and  country  and  ought  to  be  abolished. 
Furthermore,  the  time  has  come  for  federal  appro- 
priations for  aid  to  rural  education.  Some  of  our  edu- 
cational leaders  are  strongly  opposed  to  such  a  policy. 
They  believe  that  it  looks  toward  undue  centralization 
and  autocracy.  There  is  a  widespread  tradition  that 
education  is  purely  a  local  matter.  But  if  this  was  ever 
true,  it  is  so  no  longer.  In  the  New  Day  it  is  to  be  seri- 
ously, desperately  a  national  matter.  Is  it  anything 
short  of  a  national  scandal  that  when  our  great  army 
was  mobilized,  we  found  so  large  a  percentage  of  illit- 
erates? Long  since  have  we  discovered  that  Asiatic 
cholera  is  not  a  concern  of  San  Francisco  alone,  nor  yel- 
low fever  of  New  Orleans  alone,  nor  Spanish  influenza 
of  Boston  alone,  but  that  any  plague  spot,  no  matter 
how  small,  is  a  menace  to  the  entire  country.  We  must 
cease  to  think  that  the  failure  of  any  community,  large 
or  small,  properly  to  educate  its  children  is  a  local  ques- 
tion. So  long  as  boys  and  girls  have  the  right  to  go 
from  one  community  to  another,  just  so  long  their  edu- 
cation is  a  national  affair.  We  need  a  national  educa- 
tional policy  with  respect  to  the  education  of  the  rural 
people.     We  need  a   strong,  well  supported  national 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     115 

Bureau  of  Education.  We  need  a  certain  measure  of 
federal  support  for  the  local  rural  school.  To  deprive 
this  school  of  its  initiative,  its  local  management,  of 
the  necessity  of  local  support,  would  of  course  be  fatal 
to  its  best  efficiency.  The  great  gain  through  federal 
direction  and  support  of  the  development  of  a  national 
policy  lies  in  the  opportunity  to  aid  and  stimulate  the 
small  farming  community  to  give  its  boys  and  its  girls  as 
good  an  education  as  can  be  obtained  in  the  largest  city 
of  the  union. 

A  FEW  SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT  AGRICULTURAL 
EDUCATION 

During  the  past  fifty  years,  America  has  organized 
a  comprehensive  system  of  agricultural  education,  per- 
haps in  its  extent  and  scope  the  greatest  of  any  country 
in  the  world.  There  exists  an  agricultural  college  in 
each  state,  giving  both  college  grade  work  and  short 
courses  for  those  not  desiring  to  graduate;  schools  of 
agriculture  designed  for  boys  and  girls  under  18  years 
of  age;  a  rapidly  increasing  number  of  agricultural  de- 
partments of  public  high  schools;  the  teaching  of  agri- 
culture as  a  subject  in  the  high  schools  alongside  of 
algebra  and  language,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
boys  and  girls  working  in  the  agricultural  clubs  of  the 
various  states.  A  great  army  is  training  for  agricul- 
ture. But  that  is  only  part  of  the  story.  Under  the 
Smith-Lever  Act  of  19  12,  there  was  established  a  na- 
tional system  of  extension  service  which  endeavors  to 
reach  practically  every  farmer  in  the  land  with  the  best 
the  agricultural  colleges  can  give.  As  a  result  of  the 
act,  the  farm  bureau  system  is  emerging  and  will  soon 
be  found  in  nearly  every  agricultural  county  in  the 
United    States.     The    United    States    Department    of 


ii6     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Agriculture  is  by  far  the  greatest  piece  of  government 
machinery  in  the  world  for  gathering  and  distributing 
information  about  agricultural  subjects.  The  Depart- 
ment, together  with  the  experiment  stations  in  each 
state,  constitutes  a  remarkable  group  of  investigational 
institutions.  It  is  doubtful  if  farmers  realize  or  ap- 
preciate the  extent  to  which  public  money  is  now  de- 
voted to  the  three  great  methods  of  agricultural  educa- 
tion —  scientific  investigation,  the  training  of  leaders 
and  specialists,  and  the  widespread  dissemination  of  in- 
formation. 

But  we  have  not  yet  solved  the  problem.  A  number 
of  matters  ought  to  be  met  at  once  if  we  are  to  adapt 
our  system  of  agricultural  education  to  the  New  Day. 

It  is  highly  important  that  in  every  state  the  logical 
distinction  in  work  between  a  board,  department  or 
commissioner  of  agriculture,  and  the  colleges  and 
schools  of  agriculture,  should  be  recognized  and  acted 
upon.  The  principle  of  division  is  perfectly  clear. 
The  real  work  of  a  board  or  department  of  agriculture 
is  administrative;  that  is  to  say,  it  enforces  laws  pro- 
tecting the  farmer  or  possibly  laws  regulating  his  busi- 
ness. It  administers  the  police  powers  of  the  state  in- 
sofar as  they  are  directed  toward  agriculture.  If  there 
is  a  piece  of  land  development  to  take  place  under  the 
authority  of  the  state,  its  administration  should  go  to 
the  department  of  agriculture.  Whenever  the  state, 
through  the  legislature,  attempts  to  assist  the  agricul- 
tural interests,  the  administration  of  those  laws  belongs 
to  the  department  of  agriculture. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  work  of  the  agricultural  col- 
leges and  schools  is  educational.  All  effort  to  make 
thorough-going  investigations  in  any  field,  whether  con- 
cerned with  the  soil  or  with  distribution  of  products  or 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     117 

with  country  life,  belongs  to  the  educational  institution. 
The  teaching  of  students  of  course  is  the  province  of 
the  schools.  Originally  the  work  of  disseminating  in- 
formation belonged  to  boards  of  agriculture,  but  with 
the  rise  of  the  extension  service  of  the  colleges  and  the 
county  farm  bureaus,  it  is  clear  that  their  function  is 
also  to  spread  information  among  all  the  farmers. 
This  division  of  labor  has  been  agreed  to  by  representa- 
tives of  the  colleges  and  the  state  departments  of  agri- 
culture. It  only  remains  to  carry  out  the  purpose  in 
every  state.  Misunderstandings  have  arisen  and  there 
has  been  loss  of  energy  and  efficiency  on  account  of  this 
misunderstanding.      It  no  longer  should  prevail. 

There  needs  to  be  wide  extension  of  the  system  of 
schools  of  agriculture,  intended  to  be  finishing  schools, 
not  schools  preparatory  for  college.  Doubtless,  the 
boy  graduating  at  such  a  school  of  agriculture  should  be 
able  to  secure  further  education  if  he  wants  it.  But  we 
cannot  have  an  adequate  system  of  agricultural  educa- 
tion unless  we  have  abundant  opportunities  for  training 
for  farming  boys  below  the  college  age.  Indeed,  when 
our  system  of  agriculture  is  thoroughly  developed,  by 
far  the  larger  number  of  farmers  who  have  studied  ag- 
riculture in  school  will  be  graduates  not  of  agricultural 
colleges,  but  of  agricultural  schools.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  agricultural  colleges  will  send  out  an  increasing 
number  of  men  and  women  who  will  seek  their  living  on 
the  farm.  But  perhaps  the  most  important  develop- 
ment that  can  now  take  place  in  our  agricultural  educa- 
tion consists  in  increasing  very  rapidly  the  number  of 
agricultural  schools. 

If  we  are  to  develop  a  system  of  agricultural  educa- 
tion that  will  meet  the  demands  of  the  time,  we  must 
very  soon  secure  greater  unity  in  the  management  of 


ii8     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

these  various  educational  agricultural  enterprises.  A 
mere  listing  of  these  agencies  of  control  suggests  the 
problem.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture is  not  only  in  itself  a  huge  educational  enterprise 
but  it  has  oversight  of  the  federal  funds  spent  by  the 
various  experiment  stations  and  for  teaching  in  agricul- 
tural colleges;  it  exercises  a  great  deal  of  authority  in 
the  expenditure  of  federal  money  devoted  to  the  exten- 
sion service.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Education, 
which  will  probably  become  a  cabinet  department  of 
education,  has  by  law  a  certain  amount  of  oversight  of 
the  federal  money  used  for  teaching  in  agricultural  col- 
leges, and  of  course  as  a  Federal  bureau,  has  a  very  in- 
timate connection  with  the  entire  national  system  of 
public  education.  Our  latest  piece  of  educational  legis- 
lation by  Congress  is  the  Smith-Hughes  Act  which  pro- 
vides for  a  greatly  enlarged  plan  of  secondary  educa- 
tion in  the  industries,  agriculture  and  home  making. 
There  is  a  Federal  Board  of  Vocational  Education 
which  has  complete  charge  of  the  enforcement  of  this 
law,  supplemented  in  each  state  by  a  similar  board. 
Each  agricultural  college  is  managed  under  a  board  of 
trustees,  having  definite  powers  granted  by  the  legisla- 
ture. State  boards  of  education  claim  an  interest  in 
the  methods  and  results  of  agricultural  education  simply 
because  they  are  a  part  of  the  system  of  public  support 
of  education.  County  farm  bureaus  in  at  least  one 
state  are  no  longer  mere  organizations  of  farmers,  but 
are  legally  public  agencies,  supported  at  public  expense. 
In  some  states,  they  are  separate  schools  of  agriculture, 
usually  administered  under  some  central  authority, 
either  the  college  of  agriculture  or  the  state  board  of 
education.  Sometimes,  however,  they  are  managed  lo- 
cally.    Then  we  have  innumerable  township  or  district 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     119 

school  communities  and  school  boards  managing  the 
rural  school  and  sometimes  responsible  for  a  rural  high 
school. 

Now  all  these  agencies  deal  with  agricultural  educa- 
tion to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  One  of  the  great  needs 
in  our  agricultural  work  to-day  is  to  secure  the  definite 
cooperation  of  all  these  authorities,  in  order  to  make  a 
complete  system  of  agricultural  education.  This  will 
have  to  be  done  by  law  and  it  probably  will  not  be  done 
unless  the  farmers  themselves  insist  upon  it  in  both  state 
and  nation.  We  are  not  suggesting  merging  all  these 
agencies  into  one,  but  simply  the  unification  of  plan  and 
effort  for  the  sake  of  efficiency. 

We  also  need  to  make  a  much  more  extensive  and 
thorough-going  plan  for  the  scientific  investigation  of 
our  agricultural  problem.  A  vast  amount  of  work  has 
been  done  and  is  being  done  to-day.  The  modern 
teaching  of  agriculture  has  been  made  possible  by  the 
men  of  science  in  the  experiment  stations  and  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture.  This  need  of  en- 
larged research  is  particularly  evident  in  the  fields  of 
economics  and  of  social  life.  For  years,  the  farmers 
have  been  urging  that  the  problem  of  distribution  is 
much  more  important  to  them  than  the  problems  of 
production;  yet  only  a  fraction  of  the  amount  of  money 
spent  for  investigations  concerned  with  the  soil  and  the 
plant  and  the  animal  has  been  available  for  making 
studies  concerning  markets  and  other  phases  of  the  dis- 
tribution question.  Research  must  not  stop  even  here. 
We  need  some  of  the  best  minds  of  the  time  at  work 
on  the  basic  problems  of  human  life  as  they  can  be 
worked  out  in  a  farm  community.  What  are  the  fun- 
damental problems  of  a  rural  democracy  the  world 
over?     We  must  train  leaders  for  this  rural  democ- 


I20    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

racy,  but  they  cannot  be  leaders  unless  they  know  the 
issues  at  stake.  Instinctively,  we  all  know  that  the 
great  aid  given  by  education  to  the  farmer  consists  in 
helping  him  to  work  out  his  human  problem  —  how  to 
take  and  keep  his  place  in  society  —  and  yet  we  are 
short-sighted  enough  to  call  the  students  of  these  sub- 
jects theorists,  and  we  continue  to  demand  educational 
results  merely  in  terms  of  bigger  crops. 

EDUCATION    IN   A   RURAL   DEMOCRACY 

All  these  suggestions  do  not  after  all  reach  the  main 
issue.  They  have  been  made  merely  to  indicate  some 
of  the  most  important  steps  that  should  be  taken.  But 
we  must  go  down  to  much  more  fundamental  things. 
We  must  gain  a  new  conception  of  the  part  education  is 
to  play  in  building  up  our  rural  democracy.  Education 
is  the  very  life  blood  of  democracy.  Democracy  can- 
not be  efficient,  indeed,  it  can  hardly  exist  apart  from 
education.  A  democratic  education,  however,  is  not 
achieved  merely  by  compulsory  attendance  at  school; 
Germany  did  all  that.  Schools  easily  become  mechan- 
ical. Our  whole  system  of  rural  education  now  needs 
vitalizing.  Education  should  become  the  main  concern 
of  our  democracy.  The  statesmanship  of  education  is 
vastly  more  important  than  that  of  any  other  one  fea- 
ture of  democratic  society  except  that  of  international 
relationships,  and  even  the  latter  is  founded  on  genuine 
and  widespread  education.  The  problems  of  educa- 
tion are  little  understood  by  our  law-makers.  They 
are  incidental  in  the  thinking  of  our  people.  Educa- 
tion is  given  too  narrow  a  definition,  confined  to  the 
idea  of  schooling  for  the  youngsters. 

The  New  Day  calls  not  only  for  the  development  of 
a  comprehensive  program  based  upon  an  adequate  na- 


EDUCATION  OF  RURAL  PEOPLE     121 

tional  policy  of  rural  education  and  thorough-going  co- 
operation of  the  different  parts  of  our  educational  sys- 
tem, but  it  means  education  for  education.  We  need  a 
widespread  campaign  among  the  people  themselves  on 
behalf  of  the  significance  and  meaning  of  education  in 
a  rural  democracy.  The  farmers  are  to  be  trained  for 
their  work  in  its  broadest  aspects  —  production,  distri- 
bution, conservation.  They  are  to  catch  a  vision  of 
their  obligations  as  well  as  their  rights, —  all  of  their 
relations  to  the  world's  food  supply,  their  part  in  main- 
taining the  fabric  of  the  world.  They  must  rise  to  the 
new  demands  upon  the  democratic  system.  They  must 
sense  the  need  of  an  organization  of  their  forces,  both 
for  the  sake  of  self-interest  and  in  order  that  they  may 
contribute  their  full  share  to  the  solution  of  our  world 
problems.  Education  must  open  up  to  the  farmers  the 
"  kingdoms  of  knowledge."  The  democratic  system 
must  assume  that  its  members  want  culture,  want  art, 
want  music,  want  good  literature  and  that  they  can  not 
only  appreciate  it  but  can  live  and  thrive  on  it.  Edu- 
cation should  compass  the  whole  range  of  human  inter- 
est for  the  farmer  —  work,  citizenship,  life.  Rural 
education  is  a  matter  that  goes  far  beyond  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  good  rural  school  system  or  the  development 
of  means  of  agricultural  education.  These  are  vital, 
but  they  are  only  parts  of  the  problem.  The  main  task 
in  rural  education  is  to  keep  the  rural  democracy  for- 
ever studying,  thinking,  discussing,  growing.  The 
farmers  therefore  should  back  a  great  movement  on  be- 
half of  the  fullest  possible  education  of  our  rural  peo- 
ple. Our  educational  statesmen  should  press  for  a 
comprehensive  program  and  take  the  farmers  into  their 
confidence.  We  have  no  time  to  lose.  The  new  world 
order  demands  an  adequate  education  of  the  rural  peo- 
ple in  every  country  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRI- 
CULTURE AND  COUNTRY  LIFE 

For  half  a  century  the  leaders  of  farmers  have  urged 
"  organization  "  or  "  cooperation  "  as  the  second  of 
the  two  essentials  to  rural  progress,  and  many  efforts 
have  been  made  to  organize  farmers.  The  results 
have  not  been  entirely  satisfactory.  In  earlier  days, 
the  aim  was  to  form  great  farmers'  organizations  — 
associations  dealing  with  all  aspects  of  agricultural  im- 
provement and  designed  to  include  the  farmers  gener- 
ally, irrespective  of  the  section  of  the  country  in  which 
they  lived  or  of  the  particular  kind  of  agriculture  in 
which  they  were  engaged.  The  Grange  was  the  ear- 
liest and  is  yet  the  most  typical  of  these  organizations. 
A  secret  society,  it  was  frankly  patterned  after  one  of 
the  great  fraternal  orders.  It  has  its  rituals,  its  pass- 
words, its  initiations.  The  Grange  movement  swept 
the  country,  then  subsided,  and  again  began  a  steady  but 
substantial  growth.  For  the  past  ten  or  fifteen  years, 
it  has  more  than  held  its  own  where  at  the  beginning  of 
the  century  it  had  any  real  foothold.  The  Farmers' 
Alliance  sprang  up  and  for  a  time  took  the  place  of  the 
Grange,  but  was  finally  absorbed  by  the  Knights  of  La- 
bor and  the  Populist  party.  Its  successor  is  the  Farm- 
ers' Union,  patterned  in  many  respects  after  the  Grange 
but  less  avowedly  pushing  its  educational  and  social 
aims,  and  frankly  ambitious  to  secure  business  coopera- 

122 


ORGANIZATION  123 

tion  on  a  large  scale.  It  has  a  large  membership, 
chiefly  in  the  South  and  in  the  West.  The  American 
Society  of  Equity,  organized  in  the  Middle  West,  has 
for  its  main  purpose  the  improvement  of  economic  con- 
ditions among  farmers.  Especial  emphasis  is  laid  upon 
equitable  returns  to  the  farmer  for  his  produce. 

Another  group  of  societies,  started  even  before  the 
great  farmers'  organizations,  are  of  special  interest. 
These  were  associations  of  stock  breeders,  fruit  grow- 
ers, dairymen,  etc.  At  the  beginning  they  were  in- 
tended largely  for  educational  or  conference  purposes 
and  were  only  to  a  slight  extent  business  organizations. 
Many  of  them  are  still  of  this  character,  but  some  of 
the  most  powerful  are  frankly  engaged  in  the  effort  to 
improve  facilities  for  collective  bargaining  and  even  to 
influence  legislation  designed  either  to  encourage  or  to 
protect  the  industry. 

Collective  bargaining,  or,  as  it  has  usually  been  called 
business  cooperation,  was  one  of  the  great  objectives  of 
the  earlier  farmers'  organizations;  but  this  phase  of 
their  work  has  never  been  a  complete  success.  Indeed, 
in  spite  of  many  individual  instances  of  successful 
Grange  stores,  Union  warehouses,  etc.,  and  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  efforts  and  discussion  prepared  the  way  for 
collective  bargaining,  there  was  a  vital  defect  in  the 
plans.  Successful  collective  bargaining  on  the  part  of 
farmers  is  dependent  chiefly  upon  the  ability  of  a  rela- 
tively small  group  of  farmers  who  live  near  together 
and  grow  the  same  things,  to  pool  their  interests  in  the 
buying  of  supplies  and  in  selling  the  particular  products 
they  grow.  The  Grange  and  other  great  farmers'  or- 
ganizations took  into  membership  farmers  who  were 
growing  a  variety  of  things  and  sometimes  endeavored 
to  lump  all  the  products  together  for  purposes  of  sale; 


124     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

but  the  plan  never  worked  well.  Moreover,  none  of 
these  societies  actually  embraced  all  the  farmers  of  the 
community  or  even  the  majority  of  them  in  most  cases. 
Many  Grange  members  are  not  producers.  Identity 
of  interests  is  the  very  foundation  of  collective  bargain- 
ing; diversity  of  interests  is  fatal  to  its  success.  So  it 
has  remained  for  specialized  cooperative  enterprises 
such  as  the  California  Fruit  Growers'  Exchange,  and 
more  recently  a  large  number  of  similar  efforts,  really 
to  set  in  motion  the  beginning  of  a  system  of  coopera- 
tive buying  and  selling  among  farmers. 

A    NEW    MEANING   TO    ORGANIZATION 

We  are  beginning  to  use  the  word  "  organization  " 
in  a  ntw  sense,  and  this  change  of  definition  is  exceed- 
ingly important.  The  idea  may  perhaps  be  expressed, 
first,  by  saying  that  "  organization  "  is  much  broader 
than  an  organization.  Just  as  we  think  of  education  as 
far  more  than  school  and  college,  so  organization  is  far 
more  than  the  cooperation  of  one  thousand  people  or 
even  a  million  people  for  some  one  end.  In  this  book 
the  word  "  association  "  is  used  to  describe  the  various 
cooperating  groups  of  farmers,  and  the  word  "  organ- 
ization "  for  a  different,  and  we  think  a  larger,  idea. 
But  what  is  this  larger  idea?  We  may  say  that  rural 
organization  is  the  cooperation  of  all  available  agencies 
on  behalf  of  a  definite  program  to  improve  agriculture 
and  country  life  and  to  adjust  the  interests  of  farmers 
to  the  common  good  of  the  nation  and  of  the  world. 
Organization  brings  to  bear  upon  any  problem  all  the 
forces  that  can  help  solve  the  problem.  Organization 
is  of  universal  application.  An  individual  can  organize 
his  life;  so  can  a  nation;  indeed  the  war  has  brought  us 
face  to  face  with  the  problem  of  world  organization. 


ORGANIZATION  125 

A  farmer  can  organize  his  business  so  that  he  gets  the 
maximum  use  of  his  capital  and  his  labor,  his  time  and 
his  energy;  only  so  does  the  greatest  efficiency  result. 
The  housewife  may  follow  similar  methods  in  the 
home.  The  large  association  is  well  organized  or 
poorly  organized,  depending  upon  whether  it  uses  the 
powers  tied  up  in  it  by  reason  of  people  cooperating,  or 
whether  it  fails  to  develop  a  big  plan  and  to  get  every- 
body working  to  carry  out  the  plan.  Schools,  colleges, 
churches,  societies,  communities,  governments,  busi- 
nesses may  be  well  organized  or  poorly  organized,  ac- 
cording to  the  extent  to  which  they  succeed  in  gaining 
the  intelligent  cooperation  of  all  the  elements  available 
for  attaining  their  ends.  It  is  organization  in  this 
newer  meaning  of  the  word,  supplementing  education, 
that  holds  the  key  to  the  success  of  the  farmer  in  the 
New  Day. 

Let  us  consider  briefly  some  of  the  more  important 
applications  of  the  principle  of  organization  to  rural 
affairs. 

I.  THE  BETTER  ORGANIZATION  OF  EXISTING  AGENCIES 

Each  institution  or  associated  effort  devoted  to  rural 
improvement  should  seek  the  highest  possible  efficiency. 
It  needs  to  take  an  account  of  stock  and  to  discover 
whether  the  New  Day  makes  new  demands  upon  it. 
The  great  established  institutions  like  the  school,  the 
farmers'  organizations,  the  church,  and  government  it- 
self, must  still  be  the  main  reliance  of  rural  effort,  now 
and  for  all  time,  but  with  a  new  sense  of  social  responsi- 
bility that  will  call  for  vastly  increased  effort  and  pos- 
sibly almost  complete  reconstruction. 

Each  institution  therefore  needs  to  seek  the  most  effi- 
cient organization   for  itself.      It  is  a   serious  matter 


126    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

when  an  important  institution  settles  down  to  a  con- 
tentment with  its  methods  and  its  results.  It  should  be 
as  ambitious  as  the  most  ambitious  youth,  for  maximum 
efficiency  and  thorough-going  organization.  It  should 
always  be  for  progress,  always  anxious  to  be  in  the 
front  line  trenches.  It  should  never  stand  still.  No 
matter  how  glorious  its  past  may  have  been,  it  should 
constantly  look  forward  to  new  achievement.  Not 
what  it  has  done,  but  what  is  next  for  it  to  do,  is  the 
main  concern. 

What  are  the  steps  by  which  each  one  of  these  vari- 
ous institutions  can  become  better  organized?  There 
are  perhaps  four  of  these  steps  which  may  be  men- 
tioned but  not  elaborated, 

1.  All  institutions  tend  to  concern  themselves  dispro- 
portionately with  their  methods  and  working  details 
and  to  overlook  the  real  ends  or  purposes  for  which 
they  are  supposed  to  exist.  The  most  searching  self- 
questioning  on  the  part  of  every  rural  institution  is  now 
in  order.  What  is  its  task  or  function?  How  can  it 
most  fully  help  the  farmer?  What  are  the  large  ends 
for  it  to  seek? 

Therefore,  each  Institution  should  clearly  define  its 
own  task.  This  seems  a  simple  enough  matter.  But 
very  few  agencies  have  tried  to  do  it.  They  have  gen- 
eral notions  about  what  they  are  to  do,  but  they  tend 
to  spread  themselves  widely  and  often  to  disregard  the 
work  of  other  agencies.  Lack  of  aim  results  in  loss  of 
power.  The  fundamental  need  is  for  each  institution 
to  ask  itself  what  is  the  main  purpose  of  its  establish- 
ment, what  is  its  part  in  rural  improvement,  what  are 
the  real  reasons  for  its  existence. 

2.  F.ach  institution  should  develop  an  adequate  pol- 
icy.    What  are  the  fundamental  principles  upon  which 


ORGANIZATION  127 

its  efforts  should  be  based?  What  sort  of  program  is 
practicable  at  the  present  time  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing out  these  principles?  How  can  this  institution  best 
perform  its  task?  What  are  the  methods,  devices, 
plans  that  will  be  most  effective? 

Each  institution  should  have  a  program  composed  of 
a  series  of  definite  objectives,  together  with  lists  of 
methods  worth  trying  in  order  to  gain  these  objectives. 
This  program  will  vary  from  time  to  time,  will  be  dif- 
ferent in  its  application  to  different  parts  of  the  country 
and  even  to  different  communities  in  the  same  state  or 
county.  It  cannot  be  a  hard  and  fast  outline  of  meth- 
ods for  the  local  community,  but  it  ought  to  be  sugges- 
tive and  helpful  —  devices  that  have  been  a  success. 
A  so-called  program  may  be  merely  a  piece  of  writing 
which  anybody  with  a  facile  pen  can  evolve.  A  real 
program  is  hammered  out  of  the  thought  and  experi- 
ence of  the  people  who  are  doing  the  work,  and  has 
the  advantage  of  keeping  before  them  something  clear- 
cut  and  definite,  something  that  they  can  come  back  to 
every  little  while  and  check  up  in  order  to  discover 
whether  they  are  making  progress. 

3.  How  can  each  institution  cooperate  with  other 
associations  and  institutions  in  order  to  avoid  duplica- 
tion of  effort  or  misunderstanding  of  purpose?  How 
may  this  institution  participate  in  the  great  getting- 
together,  the  larger  cooperation  that  is  evidently  essen- 
tial to  rural  efficiency? 

This  is  a  hard  test.  Institutions  as  well  as  individ- 
uals are  subject  to  the  human  passions  of  jealousy  and 
envy.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  examples  of  this 
fact  is  in  a  community  having  four  or  five  small  strug- 
gling churches,  when  one  good  strong  church  would 
fully  suffice.     Some  of  the  most  unchristian  things  that 


128     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  angels  have  to  witness  occur  under  these  conditions. 
The  only  solution  is  the  spirit  of  community  service 
overcoming  the  spirit  of  group  pride. 

4.  Each  institution  must  in  some  measure  train  its 
own  leaders.  Relying  upon  schools  and  colleges  to 
furnish  formal  instruction,  the  agency  itself  needs  to  de- 
termine the  sort  of  men  and  women  it  will  have  in  its 
personnel.  Particularly  will  it  seek  to  develop  all  la- 
tent leadership  within  its  ranks. 

II.  THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  AGRICULTURE  BY  SUB- 
INDUSTRIES 

Perhaps  the  most  important  single  step  in  the  organ- 
ization of  American  agriculture  is  the  organization  of 
sub-industries  or  producing  groups.  By  sub-industries 
is  meant  wheat  growing,  cotton  growing,  apple  grow- 
ing, dairying  and  so  on.  This  feature  of  rural  organ- 
ization, so  characteristic  of  agriculture  in  Europe,  has 
not  gone  very  far  in  the  United  States.  In  the  earlier 
days,  the  old  horticultural  societies,  live  stock  associa- 
tions, etc.,  were  educational  in  character.  Later  there 
grew  up  quite  highly  developed  associations  of  breed- 
ers of  various  kinds  of  pure  bred  live  stock.  Their 
purposes  were  not  always  clearly  defined  but  among 
them  that  of  pushing  the  sale  of  their  particular  breed 
of  stock  was  prominent.  In  some  parts  of  the  country 
the  dairymen  are  becoming  organized.  There  are 
several  associations  of  grain  growers  and  producers  of 
beef  cattle  that  are  doing  vigorous  work.  But  as  a 
rule  the  field  of  effort  of  these  organizations  is  limited. 
Perhaps  the  nearest  approach  to  a  complete  organiza- 
tion of  a  sub-industry  or  a  group  of  sub-industries  is 
found  in  the  work  of  the  California  F  ruit  Growers'  Ex- 
change, through  which  the  citrus  fruit  growers  of  Cal- 


ORGANIZATION  129 

Ifornia  have  developed  an  enormous  cooperative  busi- 
ness. All  the  other  producing  groups  should  get  to- 
gether in  similar  fashion  —  the  wheat  growers,  the  cot- 
ton growers,  the  corn  growers,  the  butter  makers,  the 
market  milk  producers,  and  all  the  rest. 

What  are  the  main  advantages  of  organizing  sub- 
industries? 

1.  It  enables  the  growers  to  standardize  the  methods 
of  production.  There  is  a  premium  put  upon  intensive 
study  and  experiment  on  the  part  of  producers  them- 
selves. The  principles  worked  out  by  scientific  investi- 
gators and  the  experience  of  other  producers  gradually 
coalesce  in  skillful  management.  Good  farmers  will 
always  make  the  best  effort,  but  if  each  man  depends 
upon  himself  alone,  the  chances  are  that  he  will  never 
get  the  best  results. 

2.  Collective  bargaining  either  in  buying  or  in  sell- 
ing is  practically  impossible  except  by  those  who  have 
identical  industrial  interests,  that  is,  by  those  who  have 
the  same  things  to  sell.  They  can  pack  them  in  the 
same  way  and  give  them  a  trade  mark. 

3.  Protection  of  farmers,  whether  through  insurance 
or  protective  legislation,  is  best  gained  when  the  com- 
bined efforts  of  those  who  have  similar  needs  are  pooled 
for  the  same  purpose.  Groups  of  producers  of  sim- 
ilar products,  as  a  rule,  have  similar  problems. 

4.  The  educational  possibilities  in  this  type  of  organ- 
ization are  exceedingly  important.  Education  is  a  pub- 
lic function,  but  unless  the  work  of  the  schools  and  col- 
leges is  supplemented  by  the  self-education  of  the 
farmer,  the  public  money  devoted  to  education  is  only 
partly  justified.  A  group  of  individuals  interested  in 
the  same  business  can  study  all  phases  of  the  business 
much  better  than  any  one  individual  can  do  it.     More- 


130    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

over  in  large,  well-organized  industries,  the  farmers 
will  employ  their  own  experts,  not  to  take  the  place  of 
the  government  specialist  but  to  supplement  and  en- 
force the  teachings  of  the  schools. 

5.  To  some  extent  an  industry  thus  organized  can 
control  production,  so  that  within  certain  limitations  of 
climate  and  heat,  a  group  of  producers  may  be  enabled 
to  put  upon  the  market  the  amount  of  product  needed 
at  prices  that  will  give  the  majority  of  producers  a 
reasonable  return.  Competition  between  regions  in 
the  same  industry  may  be  reduced,  even  if  not  elim- 
inated. The  orange  growers  of  Florida  and  Cali- 
fornia; the  apple  growers  of  Oregon  and  Maine;  the 
dairymen  of  Vermont  and  New  York  are  competitors 
rather  than  cooperators.  When  each  of  these  indus- 
tries is  fairly  organized  the  country  over,  much  can  be 
done  to  reduce  disastrous  competition. 

A  LOCAL   UNIT  IS  THE   BASIS  OF  GOOD  INDUSTRIAL 
ORGANIZATION 

This  statement  is  the  alphabet  of  cooperative  busi- 
ness organization.  It  virtually  means  the  establish- 
ment of  a  cooperating  group  of  farmers  living  fairly 
near  together;  in  other  words  a  community  of  farmers 
engaged  in  similar  production.  One  farmer  may  grow 
half  a  dozen  products;  so  consequently  he  will  belong 
to  half  a  dozen  groups.  A  farmers'  exchange  may 
handle  a  variety  of  products,  but  it  can  do  so  profitably 
only  as  it  is  enabled  to  specialize  in  each  product  suffi- 
ciently to  secure  all  the  gains  that  come  from  concentra- 
tion of  effort.  There  is  still  an  ambition  on  the  part  of 
those  who  seek  the  organization  of  farmers  to  do  some- 
thing big,  to  have  a  huge  membership,  to  cover  wide  ter- 
ritory.     For  certain  purposes,  like  influencing  legisla- 


ORGANIZATION  131 

tion  or  dealing  with  huge  corporate  interests,  a  large 
overhead  organization  of  farmers  is  necessary.  The 
New  England  Milk  Producers'  Association  is  a  wide- 
spread organization,  with  a  large  membership  and  an 
ample  treasury,  and  has  been  a  veritable  godsend  to  the 
New  England  dairy  farmers  during  the  emergency  cre- 
ated by  the  war.  But  the  permanent  effectiveness  of 
such  an  organization  among  milk  producers  anywhere 
can  be  assured  only  when  there  exists  a  multitude  of 
local  dairymen's  clubs  or  associations  which,  indeed, 
include  practically  all  the  individual  dairymen  in  each 
community.  The  "  local  "  is  the  strength  of  any  as- 
sociated effort.  The  local  farmers'  exchange,  the  local 
egg  circles,  the  local  apple  growers'  association,  the 
local  Grange,  the  local  school,  the  local  church  —  these 
are  the  very  bedrock  of  permanent  and  effective  organ- 
ization of  rural  agencies.  The  overhead  organization 
should  not  be  composed  of  individuals  but  should  be  a 
union  of  federation  of  locals.  Local  unions  may  be 
combined  into  district  unions  (not  on  a  county  basis  un- 
less the  county  forms  a  natural  marketing  area),  state 
unions  and  national  unions.  There  may  also  be  re- 
gional unions. 

III.  ORGANIZATION  FOR  OBJECTIVES 

This  is  a  very  important  phase  of  organization,  al- 
though at  first  thought  it  may  not  interest  the  farmers. 
It  means  simply  cooperative  effort  to  reach  some  defi- 
nite aim  by  bringing  to  bear  upon  it  all  the  forces  that 
are  available.  It  may  take  the  form  of  a  "  drive  "  for 
getting  all  the  farmers  in  a  certain  apple  growing  re- 
gion to  spray  fruit  trees,  or  to  increase  production  of  a 
certain  crop.  Or  it  may  be  a  little  more  ambitious,  tak- 
ing the  form  of  what  might  be  called  a  "  development 


132     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

campaign  ";  as  for  clean  milk  or  for  rural  health.  It 
is  in  reality  a  program  for  a  definite  goal  that  has  to  be 
participated  in  by  a  good  many  agencies  and  many  kinds 
of  services  performed.  For  example,  in  a  dairy  cam- 
paign, there  should  be  plans  for  scientific  research, 
bringing  up  the  quality  of  dairy  cattle,  or  better  meth- 
ods of  dairy  farm  management,  or  a  system  of  milk 
distribution  that  is  valuable  to  the  farmer,  or  advertis- 
ing the  food  value  of  milk.  Proper  laws  should  be 
passed  and  administered.  No  one  agency  could  do  all 
this  work,  for  it  is  partly  educational  and  partly  admin- 
istrative. It  means  a  combination,  on  some  well  de- 
fined plan,  of  the  milk  producers'  association,  the  milk 
handlers  and  consumers,  the  agricultural  college  and  the 
farm  bureaus,  the  state  board  of  agriculture,  and  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

It  may  be  desirable  also  to  organize  the  main  fields  of 
agricultural  effort,  such  as  production,  distribution, 
country  life,  political  interests,  because  each  one  of 
these  groups  has  special  problems  and  cooperative  in- 
terests. 

It  is  probably  clear  to  all  that  in  organizing  for  ob- 
jectives there  must  be  the  leadership  of  some  agency  or 
group  which  will  take  the  initiative  in  bringing  together 
all  the  agencies  that  will  play  a  part  in  the  work.  The 
whole  program  must  be  mapped  out,  an  effort  made  to 
find  out  just  what  needs  to  be  done,  what  each  agency 
can  do  and  how  they  will  all  work  together  for  the  com- 
mon end. 

IV.    ORGANIZATION    BY    REGIONS 

Prior  to  our  entr?nce  into  the  war,  comparatively  lit- 
tle attention  had  been  paid  to  the  thorough  organiza- 
tion of  the  food  production  in  any  given  region  as  a  unit. 


ORGANIZATION  133 

Neither  in  community,  county,  state  or  nation  had  there 
been  a  consistent  food  production  program;  but 
within  a  few  weeks  after  war  was  declared,  there  came 
into  being  a  multitude  of  food  production  committees. 
In  nearly  every  state  in  the  Union,  probably  in  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  agricultural  counties  of  the 
country  and  in  thousands  of  local  communities,  these 
committees  appeared.  This  organization  by  regions, 
illustrated  in  the  war  emergency  plans,  is  perhaps  the 
most  important  phase  of  rural  organization  and  should 
be  made  permanent.  The  idea  of  regional  organiza- 
tion has  wide  applications. 

1.  The  Individual  Farmer.  No  one  needs  to  argue 
with  the  good  farmer  about  the  importance  of  organiz- 
ing his  business.  Skillful  farm  management  is  the  acid 
test  of  good  farming  and  is  probably  to-day  the  big  out- 
standing need  of  our  agriculture  as  it  relates  to  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  individual  farmer.  American  agriculture 
will  be  fully  efficient  only  when  every  one  of  our  seven 
millions  of  farmers  becomes  a  good  manager.  Organ- 
ization is  the  secret  of  farm  management;  it  secures  a 
union  of  forces  in  the  most  effective  way  to  get  the  re- 
sults the  farmer  wants. 

2.  The  Farm  Home.  All  that  has  been  said  in  re- 
gard to  the  farm  applies  to  the  home.  To  those  who 
have  given  the  matter  little  thought,  an  argument  for 
organizing  the  home  may  seem  to  be  impracticable.  It 
is  not  only  practicable,  but  vitally  important  that  each 
home  shall  do  its  share,  serve  its  purpose,  in  the  best 
way.  This  is  not  a  mere  private  matter  as  some  sup- 
pose, but  one  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  the  welfare 
of  farmers  and  of  the  nation.  The  secret  of  a  fine 
home  Is  the  right  spirit  and  atmosphere;  without  these 
organization  is  futile.      But  In  the  best  sense,  organlza- 


134    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

tion,  management,  skillful  handling  are  what  make  the 
home  effective.  Organization  is  not  a  cold-blooded 
piece  of  efficient  machinery.  Good  organization  takes 
into  consideration  the  human  factors,  and  in  the  home  a 
large  part  of  the  management  of  organization  consists 
in  the  tact  and  affection  and  vision  of  the  home  maker. 

3.  The  Neighborhood.  The  National  Council  of 
Defense  recently  issued  a  nation-wide  appeal  for  the  or- 
ganization of  school  districts  which  are  virtually  neigh- 
borhoods of  farmers.  Much  good  will  come  from  this 
effort.  But  it  is  a  very  grave  question  as  to  whether  so 
small  a  group  as  live  in  a  school  district  or  farming 
neighborhood  can  be  organized  effectively,  although 
there  is  no  reason  why  such  neighborhoods  should  not 
cooperate  in  every  way  possible  for  their  common  inter- 
ests. 

4.  The  Local  Community.  Here  we  come  to  one  of 
the  most  important  matters  connected  with  rural  im- 
provement. The  organization  of  the  local  farming 
community  is  in  some  ways  the  biggest  single  enterprise 
for  the  farmer  in  the  New  Day.  This  is  so  significant 
that  we  shall  devote  considerable  space  to  it.  It  means 
the  effort  to  persuade  all  the  people  and  all  the  local 
associations  and  agencies  of  the  community  to  pull  to- 
gether for  the  common  good.  By  "  community  "  is 
meant  that  local  area,  not  always  clearly  defined,  which 
has  or  may  have  its  own  school  and  church  and  organ- 
izations, a  region  large  enough  to  organize  well  and 
small  enough  so  that  everybody  may  become  ac- 
quainted. 

5.  The  County  or  District.  It  might  be  better,  the- 
oretically, if  the  natural  farming  districts  could  be  set 
apart  for  organization  purposes,  based  on  the  presence 
of   a   central   market   town.      But   the    advent    oi   the 


ORGANIZATION  135 

county  farm  bureau  has  probably  fixed  for  all  time  the 
county  unit  of  organized  endeavor.  The  county  has 
some  advantages.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  county 
patriotism  throughout  the  United  States.  The  county 
is  the  smallest  effective  political  unit  in  most  parts  of 
our  country.  The  movement  to  organize  agriculture 
on  a  county  basis  is  making  rapid  headway. 

6.  The  State.  No  state  in  America  has  ever  devel- 
oped a  consistent  and  comprehensive  agricultural  pol- 
icy or  unified  effort  to  get  the  maximum  results  for  its 
agriculture.  Yet  that  is  merely  the  business-like  thing 
to  do.  Each  state  ought  to  take  stock  of  its  resources  in 
agriculture,  of  its  possibilities  and  its  needs,  laying  out 
a  definite  program  for  improvement,  and  then  seeking 
to  bring  together  all  the  different  public  and  voluntary 
associations  that  will  make  the  achievement  of  the  pro- 
gram possible.  It  is  strange  that  we  have  not  done  this 
before.  There  is  now  a  strong  feeling  all  over  the 
country  that  this  is  the  statesmanlike  method  and  that 
it  must  be  done  if  we  are  to  get  full  effectiveness  in  our 
agriculture. 

7.  Groups  of  States.  There  are  certain  groups  of 
states  that  have  many  things  in  common.  The  South, 
for  example,  both  because  of  the  likeness  of  its  products 
and  its  historic  unity,  seems  a  natural  region  for  coop- 
eration. The  New  England  states  form  a  natural  unit. 
The  Rocky  Mountain  states  have  much  more  in  com- 
mon with  each  other  than  they  have  with  any  other 
part  of  the  country,  by  reason  of  possibilities  of  irriga- 
tion and  of  dry  farming.  The  so-called  crop  "  belts  " 
such  as  the  corn  belt,  the  wheat  belt,  sugar  beet  belt  and 
the  cotton  belt,  form  less  distinctive  but  nevertheless 
important  regional  interests.  It  would  be  a  great  gain 
to  American  agriculture  if  the  whole  country  were  di- 


136     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

vided  into  six  or  eight  of  these  natural  regions  or  zones 
in  which  the  economic  problems  of  the  farmers  are  sim- 
ilar. This  process  has  already  developed  in  a  partial 
way.  For  example,  the  South  has  unified  her  agricul- 
tural enterprises  to  a  considerable  degree.  The  South 
has  probably  made  greater  progress  in  agriculture  in 
the  last  15  or  20  years  than  has  any  other  part  of  our 
country,  and  we  believe  it  is  due  partly  to  the  organized 
endeavors  of  the  southern  people  as  a  group. 

8.  The  Nation.  This  is  the  culminating  form  of 
rural  organization  as  applied  to  a  region.  It  simply 
means,  as  has  been  said  before,  that  we  should  regard 
the  seven  million  farms  of  the  country  as  one  big  farm, 
and  the  seven  million  farmers  as  one  big  family.  The 
farmer  cannot  play  his  part  in  the  New  Day  unless 
American  agriculture  as  a  whole  is  thoroughly  organ- 
ized, with  adequate  policies  and  programs  and  with  ma- 
chinery for  securing  the  cooperation  of  all  concerned. 
This,  too,  will  be  the  subject  of  a  chapter  by  itself. 

9.  Urban  and  Rural.  We  must  find  a  method  by 
which  the  industrial  and  commercial  interests  of  the  city 
may  strike  hands  with  the  interests  of  the  farmers, 
through  some  form  of  organization  which  will  place 
these  two  interests  in  the  proper  relation  one  to  the 
other  and  secure  their  fullest  cooperation. 

10.  The  World.  The  idea  of  a  world  organization 
of  agriculture  is  not  new.  Its  first  prophet  was  David 
Lubin,  who  planned  the  International  Institute  of  Agri- 
culture in  Rome.  The  war  has  made  imperative  what 
to  many  before  the  war  seemed  like  a  dream.  We 
shall  be  obliged  to  recognize  the  world's  interest  in  the 
control  and  use  of  the  land  as  a  source  of  food  supply. 
7  he  land  problem  in  Russia  is  the  fundamental  problem 
of  Russian  democracy.      Russia  Is  rural,  of  course;  but 


ORGANIZATION  137 

the  land  problem  in  England  which  is  urban  is  almost 
equally  important.  We  can  no  longer  think  of  agricul- 
ture in  a  purely  national  sense.  The  farmers  of  the 
world  must  meet  the  New  Day  in  the  spirit  and  effec- 
tiveness of  world-wide  organization. 

IS   THERE    A    PLACE    FOR    THE    GENERAL    FARMERS' 
ASSOCIATIONS? 

This  is  a  question  that  will  interest  many  thousands 
of  farmers  belonging  to  these  great  organizations. 
The  answer  is  in  the  affirmative.  There  is  no  reason 
why  organization  that  has  broad  purposes,  high  aims 
and  aggressive  programs  should  not  have  a  most  im- 
portant place  in  rural  welfare.  But  as  the  organiza- 
tion of  sub-industries  develop,  it  would  seem  as  if  the 
principles  of  these  great  organizations  should  be  very 
clearly  defined  and  every  effort  made  to  fit  in  to  the  ac- 
tivities of  other  associated  groups.  For  example,  if 
the  wheat  farmers  and  cotton  farmers  and  stock  farm- 
ers are  thoroughly  organized,  just  where  will  the 
Grange  come  in?  Does  not  its  mission  lie  very  largely 
in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  sort  of  fraternity,  a  family  of  fam- 
ilies, comprising  men,  women  and  children,  and  that  its 
educational  and  social  teachings  are  probably  its  great- 
est assets?  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why  the 
Grange  should  not  play  the  part  it  has  in  the  past  —  a 
great  part  in  securing  better  conditions  for  farmers. 
So  also  with  the  Farmers'  Union.  And  while  the  ex- 
istence of  the  great  farmers'  organizations  is  highly  de- 
sirable, there  is  no  doubt  but  it  is  difficult,  If  not  impos- 
sible, to  have  one  inclusive  farmers'  organization. 
Our  country  is  so  large,  the  intermingling  of  the  masses 
of  farmers  in  the  different  sections  is  so  nearly  impossi- 
ble, the  special  needs  of  the  different  regions  differ  so 


138     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

greatly,  the  presence  of  competing  needs  is  so  diverse, 
that  an  organization  that  would  actually  enlist  in  its 
active  membership  a  large  majority  of  our  seven  mil- 
lion farmers  is  practically  out  of  the  question. 

SHOULD  WE   HAVE  AN  AGRARIAN  ORGANIZATION? 

By  agrarian  organization  is  meant  a  farmers'  asso- 
ciation designed  to  look  after  the  special  interests  of 
farmers,  possibly  to  resist  the  demand  of  other  classes. 
In  this  sense,  of  course  it  is  unfortunate  that  farmers 
have  to  organize.  Such  procedure  incites  class  con- 
sciousness, develops  a  struggle  for  class  interests. 
Nevertheless,  if  a  great  group  of  industrial  workers 
like  the  farmers  does  not  guard  its  own  interests 
through  organization,  it  is  likely  to  suffer.  It  is  pos- 
sible, therefore,  that  there  ought  to  be  in  America  what 
might  be  called  a  fighting  farmers'  organization.  But 
we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  most  effective  fight- 
ing organization  of  farmers  will  be  a  federation  of  pro- 
ducers' organizations,  for  the  reason  that  the  producers 
will  have  very  definite  problems  and  difficulties.  Each 
group,  it  is  true,  has  its  special  interests  to  look  after. 
Nearly  all  efforts  on  the  part  of  farmers  to  influence 
legislation  arise  out  of  some  economic  need.  There- 
fore, it  would  seem  as  if  the  organization  which  deals 
with  the  business  of  the  great  sub-industries  would  be 
the  one  best  adapted  to  secure  legislation.  If  questions 
arise  that  interest  a  large  number  of  producing  groups, 
the  various  producers'  associations  can  act  together. 

CERTAIN    PROPOSITIONS    CONCERNING    RURAL    ORGAN- 
IZATION 

I.  Organization  is  the  only  way  to   full  efl^ciency. 
We  have  had  a  planless  agriculture.      We  find  serious 


ORGANIZATION  139 

overlapping  of  activities  on  the  part  of  different  agen- 
cies. We  find  also  serious  overlooking  of  vital  needs 
by  these  same  agencies.  Sometimes  there  is  real  fric- 
tion, misunderstanding,  and  consequently  a  waste  of 
time,  money  and  effort  in  duplicated  endeavor.  Good 
organization  would  avoid  these  defects. 

2.  Rural  organfzation  must  be  of  the  cooperative, 
not  of  the  military,  type.  German  efficiency  was  real, 
but  it  was  purchased  at  the  expense  of  the  individual. 
Cooperative  or  voluntary  organization  is  not  so  effec- 
tive in  detail  as  the  military  or  compulsory  form,  be- 
cause all  the  people  will  not  voluntarily  cooperate  all 
the  time  for  all  purposes.  The  only  way  to  do  it 
is  by  making  an  army  of  them.  But  there  are 
manifest  advantages  in  voluntary  organization.  The 
genius  of  democracy  is  cooperation  and  not  compul- 
sion. 

3.  Good  organization  does  not  submerge  the  indi- 
vidual; it  enlarges  him.  It  may  subordinate  him  to  the 
common  good,  and  it  ought  to  do  so.  It  says  that  no 
one  individual  and  no  small  group  of  individuals  shall 
fatten  at  the  expense  of  the  rest.  Organization  recog- 
nizes that  the  individual  at  his  best  is  the  most  effective 
force  for  the  common  good;  that  people  are  the  vital 
factor  rather  than  machinery  or  methods  of  organiza- 
tion. Organization  seeks,  therefore,  to  make  each  in- 
dividual the  most  effective  possible,  but  effective  both 
for  his  own  good  and  for  the  common  good.  More- 
over, under  ordinary  conditions,  the  average  individual 
can  come  to  his  best  estate  only  as  a  part  of  an  effective 
organization,  so  that  good  organization  is  really  and 
fully  democratic. 

4.  Organization  eventually  reduces  rather  than  mul- 
tiplies the  number  of  associations,  because  it  demands 


I40     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  utmost  efficiency  of  each  agency  and  finds  no  place 
for  useless  effort. 

5.  Organization  of  the  voluntary  type  can  never  be 
exact  or  complete,  in  the  sense  of  a  machine-like  order 
or  thoroughness,  but  it  can  be  better  than  that,  for  it 
can  inspire  each  man  and  each  group  to  do  its  best  for 
the  common  good  in  cooperation  with  all  the  rest. 

6.  All  schemes  of  organization  must  leave  place  for 
new  groupings,  or  soon  we  have  a  close  corporation. 
Each  new  effort  to  organize  must  justify  itself  by  its 
effectiveness,  by  demonstrating  that  it  has  a  mission  to 
perform. 

7.  Collective  bargaining  is  the  most  pressing  single 
problem  in  rural  organization  at  the  present  time.  It 
has  been  often  said  that  business  cooperation  in  agricul- 
ture will  come  only  as  the  result  of  dire  necessity.  This 
is  true,  but  the  statement  needs  qualifying.  Necessity 
may  drive  farmers  away  from  the  farm  instead  of  into 
cooperation;  farmers  may  give  up  in  discouragement 
rather  than  go  to  the  trouble  of  organizing  for  business 
ends.  It  is  possible,  although  still  difficult,  to  organize 
farmers  who  are  making  a  fair  profit,  if  they  feel  that 
they  are  not  getting  a  square  deal  and  could  do  better 
by  organization.  Collective  bargaining  requires  intel- 
ligence, confidence  in  the  idea  of  cooperation,  and  com- 
plete loyalty  —  these  must  be  added  to  mere  necessity. 
One  of  our  greatest  difficulties  in  agricultural  business 
cooperation  has  been  that  the  abler  farmers  often  hold 
aloof.  Necessity  is  the  mother  of  business  coopera- 
tion. Is  the  new  demand  for  an  organization  of  the 
world's  food  supply  a  sufficient  necessity  to  spur  the 
farmers  of  America  to  thorough-going  organization  for 
collective  bargaining? 


ORGANIZATION  141 

8.  The  organization  of  country  life  interests  is  vital. 
Welfare  is  more  than  wealth. 

9.  All  efforts  to  organize  American  agriculture 
should  relate  themselves  to  an  effort  to  organize  world 
agriculture. 

10.  Organization  is  supremely  in  need  of  leadership, 
both  the  expert  and  professional  leadership  of  trained 
speciahsts  and  the  active,  intelligent,  aggressive  leader- 
ship of  successful  farmers  and  their  wives. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  MAKING  OF  RURAL  COMMUNITIES 
THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA 

"  We  propose  meeting  together,  talking  together,  buying  to- 
gether, selling  together,  and,  in  general,  acting  together  for  our 
mutual  protection  and  advancement." 

Declaration  of  Purposes  of  the  Grange. 

The  spirit  of  this  quotation,  extended  to  all  the  people 
of  a  farming  locality,  is  the  community  spirit.  To- 
getherness rather  than  aloneness  is  the  community  idea. 
A  true  community  includes  the  interests  of  every  one 
living  in  the  community  —  old  and  young,  native  and 
foreign,  wise  and  foolish.  The  community  idea  as- 
sumes that  every  soul  belongs  to  the  democracy.  It  is 
based  on  the  recognition  of  the  rights  of  each  individ- 
ual, even  the  humblest,  combined  with  the  duty  to  neigh- 
bors that  is  the  obligation  of  each,  even  of  the  strong- 
est. But  the  community  idea  assumes  more  than  that. 
It  holds  that  the  unit  of  interest  is  the  common  interest 
of  all,  not  merely  the  combined  individual  interests  of 
many.  There  is  a  vast  difference  between  endeavoring 
to  compromise  the  desires  of  a  hundred  individuals  each 
seeking  chiefly  his  personal  welfare,  and  trying  to  bring 
the  separate  items  of  personal  welfare  into  one  pro- 
gram of  common  advancement  —  much  the  same  differ- 
ence that  exists  between  bringing  separate  rings  of  iron 
into  a  pile  and  welding  separate  links  into  a  chain. 
One  is  accommodation  ;  the  other  is  brotherhood.     The 

142 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  143 

core  of  the  community  Idea,  then,  as  applied  to  rural 
life,  is  that  we  must  make  the  community  —  as  a  unit, 
an  entity,  a  thing  —  the  point  of  departure  in  all  our 
thinking  about  the  rural  problem  and  in  its  local,  prac- 
tical application  the  direct  aim  of  all  organized  efforts 
for  improvement  or  redirection.  The  building  of  real 
local  farm  communities  is  perhaps  the  main  task  in 
erecting  an  adequate  rural  civilization.  Here  is  the 
real  goal  of  all  rural  effort,  the  inner  kernel  of  a  sane 
country-life  movement,  the  moving  slogan  of  the  cam- 
paign for  rural  progress  that  must  be  waged  by  the 
present  generation. 

BUT   WHAT    IS   A    COMMUNITY? 

It  is  not  a  neighborhood  or  even  a  hamlet.  A  mere 
collection  of  people  dwelling  in  houses  somewhat  near 
together  or  within  easy  reach  of  one  another  does  not 
constitute  a  community.  Neighborhood  life  is  import- 
ant and  neighborhood  spirit  vital.  But  a  "  neighbor- 
hood," as  most  American  farmers  understand  the  term, 
is  not  likely  to  be  a  true  community. 

The  New  England  states  teach  us  some  lessons  in 
rural  organization.  The  "  town  " —  or  as  it  is  better 
known  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  township  — 
forms  a  natural  community.  New  England  was  settled 
by  communities,  or  groups,  or  towns.  When  people 
decided  to  seek  new  homes  they  went  as  a  community 
and  formed  a  new  town.  Each  town  had  its  church  — 
and  It  Is  interesting  to  remember  that  the  members  of 
the  church  and  the  members  of  the  political  town  had 
to  be  the  same  people.  Each  community  had  Its  school 
and  Its  political  or  governmental  life.  Each  New  Eng- 
land town  became  a  little  democracy.  It  governed  it- 
self to  a  very  large  degree.      It  planned  Its  future,  paid 


144     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

its  own  bills,  managed  its  own  affairs.  Notice  the  use 
of  the  pronoun  ''  //  "  not  "  they."  For  this  town  was  a 
real  unit,  a  sort  of  social  person;  it  was  not  a  mere  col- 
lection of  people,  who  happened  to  live  near  one  an- 
other. Even  to-day  in  the  old-fashioned  town  meeting, 
the  moderator  —  the  presiding  officer  —  announces 
that  the  town  votes  so  and  so  or  the  town  evidently 
wishes  to  do  this  or  to  do  that.  He  does  not  say  "  the 
people  of  the  town,"  rarely  "  the  voters  of  the  town," 
but  "  the  town." 

The  Township  as  a  Community.  The  western  town- 
ship is  an  arbitrary  affair,  purely  a  matter  of  a  survey, 
and  has  no  relation  whatever  to  natural  groupings  of 
farmers.  In  many  cases  the  township  has  a  substantial 
village  near  the  center  which  if  on  a  railroad  forms  the 
market  and  trade  point  for  the  people  of  the  town. 
This  village  often  becomes  the  real  center  of  the  town- 
ship and  makes  it  possible  to  have  something  approach- 
ing a  community.  In  many  townships  there  is  no  such 
center  and  the  people  find  that  their  church  life,  the 
schooling  of  their  children,  their  business  interests,  go 
in  diverse  directions.  In  such  a  case  the  township  is 
not  at  all  a  community  and  it  is  difficult  to  make  it  one. 

The  Team  Haul.  It  has  been  rather  wisely  sug- 
gested that  the  team  haul  might  determine  the  area  of  a 
rural  community,  for  the  reason  that  the  teams  haul 
products  to  whatever  center  the  farmers  actually  find 
most  convenient;  consequently,  this  center  becomes  a 
natural  gathering  place  around  which  cluster  at  least 
the  business  interests  of  a  group  of  farmers.  The  so- 
cial and  educational  and  recreational  interests  %i  a 
group  of  farmers,  however,  often  lie  out  in  the  country, 
while  their  trading  interests  lie  in  some  neighboring  vil- 
lage or  "  town." 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  145 

The  Consolidated  School  District.  The  consoli- 
dated school  district  seems  almost  the  ideal  area  for  a 
true  community,  not  mainly  nor  perhaps  even  chiefly  be- 
cause we  are  to  think  of  the  consolidated  school  as  the 
one  community  center,  but  because  in  the  very  nature  of 
the  case  the  consolidated  schoolhouse  will  be  so  located 
as  to  serve  the  interests  of  that  group  of  farmers  who 
support  the  school  and  who  therefore  are  rather  accus- 
tomed or  at  least  will  soon  become  accustomed  to  think- 
ing of  themselves  as  having  common  interests.  The 
location  of  the  school  is  sometimes  in  the  open  country, 
but  often  in  a  small  village;  in  either  case,  it  is  not  at  all 
unlikely  that  it  may  be  found  near  a  prominent  church. 
Grange  hall,  elevator  or  creamery.  The  consolidated 
school  district,  therefore,  forms  more  nearly  a  natural 
community  area  than  any  other  district  except  the  New 
England  town. 

The  North  Carolina  Plan.  A  law  has  been  passed 
in  North  Carolina  which  makes  it  possible  for  a  group 
of  people  to  organize  afresh  a  legal  community  much 
like  the  New  England  town.  The  possibilities  of  this 
sort  of  legislation  are  extremely  interesting,  because 
such  communities  can  be  definitely  planned  and  not  left 
to  chance. 

The  Practical  Step.  But  how  shall  we  really  deter- 
mine the  boundaries  of  the  local  community?  We 
have  these  various  tests,  some  good  and  some  not  so 
good.  As  a  practical  convenience,  we  would  urge  the 
use  of  the  township  wherever  there  is  nothing  imme- 
diately at  hand  that  is  better.  When  the  Grange  was 
organized  fifty  years  ago,  it  had  to  face  just  this  ques- 
tion—  what  should  be  the  "  jurisdiction  "  of  the  local 
or  subordinate  Grange?  The  plan  adopted  was  gener- 
ally to  take  the  township  as  the  unit.      Departures  have 


146     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

been  made  from  this  principle,  but  as  a  rule  it  will  be 
found  that  a  subordinate  Grange  draws  its  members 
substantially  from  a  single  farming  township.  This 
plan  has  worked  well  and  if  it  serves  the  Grange,  it 
ought  to  be  satisfactory  in  the  larger  cooperation  which 
is  to  be  found  in  the  organization  of  a  real  rural  com- 
munity. Where  a  township  cannot  well  constitute  the 
area  of  a  community,  it  can  be  made  by  mutual  agree- 
ment, acting  through  county  farm  bureaus  or  some 
other  overhead  organization.  The  main  thing  is  to  set 
apart  a  region  or  an  area  big  enough  so  that  the  farm- 
ers having  similar  interests  may  maintain  those  interests 
as  a  unit;  so  that  they  may  have  their  own  churches, 
their  own  schools,  their  own  business  agencies.  Yet 
this  community  must  be  small  enough  so  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  community  can  all  come  together,  not  occa- 
sionally but  frequently,  to  discuss  their  common  inter- 
ests and  to  enjoy  themselves  as  one  big  family.  A  com- 
munity can  be  In  a  measure  self-supporting.  It  may 
stand  on  its  own  feet.  It  may  learn  to  act  as  one  man 
in  common  concerns.  Therefore,  it  must  not  be  so  big 
as  to  destroy  this  common  Interest  nor  so  small  that  it 
cannot  support  the  organizations  and  agencies  through 
which  society  Is  accustomed  to  work. 

COMMUNITY    METHODS    IN    RURAL    DEVELOPMENT 

The  individual  farmer  does  not  lose  his  identltv 
through  the  application  of  the  community  Idea,  for  it 
has  nothing  In  common  with  "  communism  "  or  "  col- 
lectivism "  or  "  socialism  "  as  those  words  are  ordina- 
rily understood.  It  Is  simply  a  more  intensive  and  bet- 
ter developed  form  of  rural  cooperation  than  we  have 
ever  known.  It  takes  the  idea  underlying  the  Grange, 
the  cooperative  idea  that  is  the  foundation  of  all  our 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA 


> 


great  farmers'  organizations,  and  applies  it  to  all  the 
people  of  a  natural  group,  not  merely  to  a  few  selected 
members.  Therefore  the  community  idea  can  be  ap- 
plied to  nearly  every  aspect  of  the  work  and  life  of 
farmers. 

THE    COMMUNITY    IDEA    IN    PRODUCTION 

Farmers  are  in  the  habit  of  talking  of  their  plans,  of 
exchanging  experiences,  of  discussing  new  methods,  of 
aiding  one  another  in  times  of  labor  shortage.  Now 
let  us  press  this  practice  a  little  farther,  organize  it  a 
little  more  completely,  and  we  shall  have  the  com- 
munity idea  applied  to  production.  Thus  we  can  "  so- 
cialize "  production.  All  students  of  the  subject  agree 
that  we  would  make  a  great  gain  in  our  agricultural 
production  if  we  could  localize  and  standardize  produc- 
tion. Can  we  persuade  the  farmers  of  a  given  natural 
community  to  grow  just  what  they  can  grow  best,  and 
to  grow  nothing  else,  to  grow  the  best  of  the  kind  that 
can  be  grown  and  of  fairly  uniform  character  and  qual- 
ity? If  this  were  done,  the  land  of  the  community 
could  be  better  adapted  to  the  crops;  the  best  methods 
could  the  more  easily  be  adopted  because  all  the  farm- 
ers would  seek  exactly  the  same  ends.  This  localizing 
of  production  takes  advantage  of  the  habits  and  tastes 
of  the  farmers  of  the  community,  the  traditions  of  their 
farming  skill  and  makes  use  of  all  their  experience. 
Community  production  is  not  widely  practiced,  but  it  is 
by  no  means  an  entirely  new  or  theoretical  subject. 
For  instance,  a  community  in  Wisconsin  ships  many 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  Holstein  cattle  each  year 
through  an  annual  sale.  The  Holstein  breeders'  asso- 
ciation pays  for  the  advertising.  The  purpose  of  the 
breeders'  association  is  to  improve  the  native  cattle  by 


148     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  use  of  pure  bred  sires,  all  of  the  same  breed,  and 
also  to  put  their  business  on  a  more  substantial  basis 
through  cooperation.  It  has  educational  advantages 
as  well  as  enabling  breeders  to  cooperate  in  buying  and 
selling.  The  development  of  many  of  the  great  breeds 
of  pure  bred  live  stock,  owe  their  origin  and  develop- 
ment to  community  breeding.  This  is  true  of  Jersey, 
Guernsey,  Ayreshire  and  Holstein  cattle  and  Percheron 
horses.  The  methods  of  apple  growers  of  Hood  River 
Valley,  of  the  Rocky  Ford  melon  growers,  of  the  po- 
tato growers  of  Greeley,  Colo.,  are  all  illustrations  of 
the  advantages  gained  when  an  entire  community  de- 
votes its  energy  to  that  definite  line  of  production  for 
which  it  is  best  adapted.  This  principle  is  recognized 
by  manufacturers,  and  we  have  shoe  cities  and  automo- 
bile cities  and  jewelry  cities.  It  is  difficult  to  exag- 
gerate the  advantages  that  accrue  when  a  community  of 
farmers  sets  out  to  bring  production  to  this  common 
basis,  each  farmer  seeking  to  do  his  best  and  all  work- 
ing together  along  a  common  line.  Community  pro- 
duction does  not  mean  that  a  given  community  will 
grow  only  one  crop  —  it  will  grow  whatever  crops  can 
be  best  grown  in  that  community,  but  whatever  it  does 
grow  will  be  pushed  to  the  limit.  Standards  will  be  set 
up.  Quality  will  be  sought.  There  is  a  common  pur- 
pose and  a  common  gain. 

Farm  Management.  Even  in  the  matter  of  farm 
management  —  apparently  a  very  individual  affair  — 
the  most  significant  results  come  from  an  effort  of  a 
whole  community  to  improve  methods.  Extension 
workers  in  farm  management  have  already  found  that 
if  they  make  a  survey  of  all  the  farms  in  the  community, 
they  will  find  that  certain  farms  are  below  the  average 
in  their  labor  and  income.      This  is  the  significant  point. 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  149 

The  farmer,  like  other  people,  is  obliged  to  think  in 
terms  of  his  immediate  surroundings  and  experiences, 
and  if  he  finds  that  he  is  running  behind  the  general 
average  of  neighboring  farmers,  he  realizes  that  there 
is  probably  something  wrong  with  him.  This  definite 
community  of  experience  aids  the  less  efficient  to  be- 
come more  effective  without  in  any  vvay  pulling  down 
the  more  eflicient.  It  helps  to  bring  all  the  farmers  to 
a  higher  level  of  effectiveness. 

Seed  Selection.  The  individual  farmer  can,  of 
course,  select  his  own  seed,  but  is  more  likely  to  do  it 
carefully  if  there  is  a  sentiment  in  his  community  which 
demands  of  each  farmer  the  selection  of  the  best  seed 
and  its  careful  testing.  Indeed,  a  community  of  farm- 
ers may  well  select  one  of  its  number  who  is  skilled  in 
such  matters  to  select  and  test  seed  corn  for  the  entire 
community.  If  this  principle  were  generally  applied, 
we  would  soon  find  a  great  group  of  farm  experts  liv- 
ing right  on  the  land  and  serving  their  local  communi- 
ties in  a  most  practical  fashion. 

Use  of  Power.  One  of  the  greatest  handicaps  of 
the  average  American  farmer,  has  been  the  absolute 
necessity  of  his  making  an  increasing  use  of  machinery 
and  the  relatively  enormous  expenses  of  getting  it. 
Farm  machinery  has  become  indispensable  and  yet 
every  business  farmer  as  well  as  every  authority  on  agri- 
cultural economics  deprecates  the  large  expenditures 
which  farmers  have  to  make  for  expensive  machinery, 
most  of  which  is  idle  for  eleven  months  in  the 
year. 

The  theory  that  farm  machinery  can  be  owned  co- 
operatively and  used  cooperatively  often  breaks  down 
in  practice.  There  are  many  difficulties,  but  there 
is    not    the    slightest    doubt    that    greater     efficiency 


I50     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

could  be  gained  if  communities  of  farmers  would 
plan  together  for  the  most  effective  use  of  ma- 
chinery. It  is  very  likely  true  that  one  farm 
tractor  will  do  all  the  work  for  a  half  a  dozen  farms. 
Certainly  one  threshing  machine  will  do  the  work  for 
many  farms.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  community  as 
a  business  corporation  should  own  and  control  this  ma- 
chinery, although  even  that  is  not  merely  a  dream.  But 
it  can  at  the  very  least  decide  as  a  community  that  it 
will  economize  in  farm  machinery,  and  the  community, 
as  a  unit,  can  make  a  contract  with  an  individual  to  do 
the  threshing  of  the  community,  or  with  several  owners 
of  tractors  to  do  the  plowing  for  the  community. 
These  things  are  actually  being  done  here  and  there. 
They  simply  need  to  be  organized,  systematized,  to  get 
the  greatest  efficiency. 

Power.  Farmers  were  using  power  generated  by 
gasolene  to  an  extent  unbelievable  a  few  years  ago.  In 
the  future,  the  use  of  electricity  upon  the  farm  will 
prove  one  of  the  great  gains  that  the  years  will  bring. 
But  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  farmers  can  get  electric 
power  as  cheaply  or  as  generally  as  they  ought  to  have 
it  if  they  treat  the  matter  purely  as  an  individual  con- 
cern. In  some  cases,  power  can  be  developed  by  com- 
munities; at  the  least  the  community  as  a  unit  can  make 
far  better  contracts  for  power  than  any  individual  can 
make. 

Labor.  The  labor  problem  in  the  United  States, 
serious  before  the  war,  has  become  acute.  It  will  be 
one  of  the  farmer's  greatest  difficulties  for  manv  years 
to  come.  The  individual  farmer  will  emplov  his  own 
labor  and  manage  it.  Yet  the  labor  supply  for  agri- 
culture will  be  more  and  more  a  matter  of  organization, 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  151 

of  successful  competition  with  other  industries,  and 
therefore  it  will  have  to  be  treated  more  and  more  as 
a  community  affair.     There  is  no  other  way  out. 

Accounts.  It  may  appear  rather  chimerical  to  some, 
but  we  may  find  the  community  idea  extremely  success- 
ful in  a  field  that  at  first  seems  to  be  purely  a  question 
for  the  individual  farmer,  namely,  that  of  keeping 
accounts.  Theoretically,  every  intelligent  farmer  be- 
lieves in  the  value  of  a  good  system  of  bookkeeping  and 
accounting,  but  nine  out  of  ten  of  these  same  intelligent 
farmers  find  it  an  extremely  difl'icult  thing  to  do.  The 
time,  the  labor,  the  annoyance  involved  in  any  thorough 
system  are  almost  prohibitive.  Why  not  put  accounts 
on  a  community  basis?  The  community  accountant 
might  be  an  employee  of  a  local  bank  or  the  business 
agent  of  the  local  cooperative  system,  or  a  farmer's 
daughter  who  has  the  training  and  the  time.  Rules 
safeguarding  the  privacy  of  accounts  could  easily  be 
made.  The  farmer  would  turn  in  his  slips  of  record 
and  results  would  be  tabulated  and  returned  to  him. 
When  divided  among  a  community  of  reasonably  pros- 
perous farmers,  this  would  not  be  at  all  an  expensive 
affair.  What  is  referred  to  here  is  not  so  much  the 
routine  business  connected  with  buying  and  selling  and 
paying  bills  —  the  private  accounts  —  as  it  is  that  form 
of  accounting  which  determines  the  profits  or  losses  of 
the  farm  business  as  a  whole  or  of  any  part  of  it.  True 
accounting,  as  applied  to  farming,  means  a  method  by 
which  the  farmer  can  account  for  or  understand  what 
is  actually  happening  to  him  as  a  business  man.  The 
principle  is  good  everywhere  and  for  all  kinds  of  farm 
business. 


152     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

THE    COMMUNITY    IDEA    IN    DISTRIBUTION 

It  is  not  necessary  to  take  so  much  space  to  discuss 
the  community  idea  in  distribution  as  it  was  in  the  case 
of  production,  because  most  farmers  have  the  feeling 
that  it  is  impossible  to  cooperate  effectively  in  produc- 
tion, whereas  they  are  fast  learning  not  only  that  col- 
lective bargaining  is  essential  to  agricultural  profit  but 
that  the  local  farmerc'  exchange  or  cooperative  society 
is  the  very  core  and  center  of  successful  business  co- 
operation. This  local  group  of  farmers  constituting 
the  farmers'  exchange  is  practically  a  community  from 
the  standpoint  of  business. 

Selling  the  Product.  Efficiency  in  selling  farm  prod- 
ucts requires  first  of  all  a  standardizing  of  goods.  This 
is  gained  through  some  common  high  standard  of 
quality,  through  the  use  of  best  varieties,  proper  grad- 
ing, and  scientific,  honest  packing.  Successful  fruit 
growers  often  have  individual  trade  marks,  but  the  de- 
vice has  been  adopted  by  very  few  individual  farmers. 
Each  community  that  specializes  in  its  products  can  have 
a  trade  mark,  and  a  trade  mark  that  is  a  guarantee  of 
quality  is  worth  more  than  any  other  single  item  in  the 
sale  of  any  commodity;  but  the  great  need  is  for  col- 
lective bargaining  in  making  sales.  The  old  Kansas 
farmer  who,  as  the  story  goes,  held  back  his  wheat  in 
order  to  corner  the  market  and  bring  a  rise  in  price  was 
just  as  successful  as  any  other  farmer  who  allows  him- 
self to  become,  as  an  individual,  a  bargainer  with  a 
great  organized  market.  It  is  not  necessary  to  put  the 
middlemen  behind  prison  bars  in  order  to  get  justice 
at  this  point;  it  is  purely  a  matter  of  better  business. 
A  farmer  with  500  bushels  of  potatoes  to  sell  certainly 
is  at  a  disadvantage  as  compared  with   a  community 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  153 

with  5,000  bushels.  The  buyer  who  can  afford  to  dis- 
regard the  individual  with  his  small  crop  cannot  ignore 
an  entire  community.  He  is  willing  to  make  terms 
with  a  community  when  he  would  browbeat  the  indi- 
vidual. 

The  Core  of  Cooperation.  At  the  risk  of  repeti- 
tion, let  it  be  said  once  more  that  the  local  community 
is  absolutely  the  only  possible  foundation  for  sound 
business  cooperation  in  agriculture.  One  of  the  wisest 
and  most  successful  leaders  in  business  cooperation  in 
this  country  says  on  this  point; 

"  It  is  fundamental  that  the  unit  of  each  agricultural  indus- 
trial organization  formed  to  distribute  and  sell  farm  crops  or  for 
other  business  purposes  must  lie  in  a  comparatively  small  area. 
The  members  must  be  well  acquainted  with  each  other,  their 
aims  must  be  similar,  and  they  must  grow  products  of  similar 
quality  and  character  if  they  are  to  succeed  when  associated  with 
one  another.  It  is  equally  important  that  the  membership  be  a 
stable  one  and  that  the  farm  lands  are  not  frequently  changing 
hands,  a  condition  which  often  operates  against  the  success  of 
the  cooperative  movement  in  the  newer  sections  of  the  country. 
If  the  products  vary  widely  on  account  of  differences  in  the  soil, 
in  climate,  or  other  environmental  conditions,  the  grades  are  not 
uniform  and  the  producers  cannot  easily  be  held  in  a  common 
organization.  The  efforts  that  are  frequently  made  to  have  a 
single  organization  cover  a  wide  territory  are,  therefore,  not 
likely  to  succeed.  It  is  desirable  from  every  point  of  view  that 
each  rural  community  and  each  individual  should  retain  its  in- 
dividuality to  the  greatest  possible  extent,  that  it  should  not 
have  local  pride  and  ambition  stifled  by  too  general  a  mixture 
with  other  sections,  and  that  it  should  be  encouraged  to  build 
up  a  local  reputation  for  its  products  that  distinguishes  it  from 
other  communities."  ' 

1  Powell,    G.   Harold,   "  Cooperation   in    Agriculture,"    pages    19-20, 
New   York,   1913. 


154    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

All  the  European  experiences  in  a  dozen  countries 
for  nearly  half  a  century  of  successful  business  coopera- 
tion are  a  demonstration  of  the  same  fundamental  prac- 
tices. That  is  the  rock  on  which  the  early  efforts  at 
business  cooperation  in  America  foundered,  and  unfor- 
tunately many  enthusiastic  and  right-minded  friends  of 
the  farmer  and  even  farmers  themselves,  still  have  the 
vision  of  a  great  comprehensive  scheme  of  business 
cooperation  by  which  thousands  of  farmers,  acting  as 
a  unit,  can  by  the  very  pressure  of  numbers  and  power, 
make  successful  bargains.  Every  such  effort  breaks 
down  of  its  own  weight  unless  it  is  founded  upon  a  mul- 
titude of  little  pillars,  each  pillar  a  solid  block  consist- 
ing of  a  well  managed  local  unit. 

Some  Well-known  Illustrations.  We  ought  to  learn 
our  lesson  from  the  varied  experiences  of  many  institu- 
tions. Probably  there  is  not  a  leader  of  the  Grange  or 
Farmers'  Union  leader  in  America  who  does  not  admit 
that  the  local  is  the  strength  of  the  organization.  All 
overhead  machinery  in  the  form  of  county  or  state  or 
national  organizations  is  an  attempt  to  conserve  and 
strengthen  local  effort.  All  cooperative  power  springs 
from  the  local  organization  and  flows  back  to  it.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  country  church,  of  the  country  school. 
The  strength  of  these  institutions  is  to  be  found  in  the 
local  church  or  in  the  local  school.  We  may  have  a 
great  church  organization  or  a  great  rural  school  sys- 
tem, but  it  is  a  rope  of  sand,  in  either  case,  except  it  be 
composed  of  successful  local  efforts.  We  need  the 
federation  or  union  of  locals  for  the  sake  of  large  poli- 
cies and  unity  of  endeavor,  but  the  actual  work  is  al- 
ways done  by  the  local. 

Community  Industries.  This  idea  may  be  also  ap- 
plied to   local   industries.     There    are   many    farming 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  155 

communities,  especially  those  containing  villages,  which 
should  be  closely  knit  with  the  farming  region,  and 
which  would  be  greatly  advantaged  through  the  de- 
velopment of  certain  local  industries.  It  is  not  un- 
thinkable that  the  labor  supply  in  some  regions  may  be 
secured  through  the  development  of  such  industries  as 
electric  power,  employing  labor  which  will  be  available 
for  the  farmers  during  the  summer.  Certain  small 
manufactories  use  up  the  surplus  or  otherwise  waste 
products  of  the  neighboring  farmers  and  thus  are  an 
advantage  to  everybody.  But  these  things  have  to  be 
planned  for  and,  as  a  rule,  this  will  be  done  only  when 
the  community  as  a  whole  takes  action. 

Rural  Credit.  Credit  may  be  made  largely  a  com- 
munity affair  instead  of  merely  an  individual  matter. 
Probably  the  one  outstanding  fact  gathered  by  the 
American  Commission  which  went  to  Europe  in  19 13 
to  study  agricultural  credit  and  cooperation,  was  ex- 
pressed by  the  former  Premier  of  Italy,  Luzzatti,  when 
he  said:  "  We  have  capitalized  character."  That  is, 
a  community  of  farmers  of  very  moderate  means,  if 
they  know  one  another  and  are  willing  to  back  one  an- 
other, can  borrow  a  great  deal  more  money  and  on  far 
better  terms  if  they  act  together,  than  the  different  in- 
dividuals in  that  community  can  do  if  each  acts  alone. 
There  is  an  irrigated  valley  in  the  West  in  which  the 
farmers  own  property  probably  worth  ten  million  dol- 
lars. Yet  each  individual  is  obliged  to  borrow  money 
on  the  best  terms  he  can  get  as  an  individual.  The 
farmers  of  this  valley  are  really  or  may  become  prac- 
tically a  unit,  a  corporation.  As  such,  they  should  be 
able  to  borrow  strictly  in  accordance  with  good  busi- 
ness terms  all  the  money  they  need  for  improvements 
or  for  making  the  crops.      They  can  do  it  only  as  they 


156     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

form  a  real  community.  They  must  act  together  to 
the  last  man.  They  must  be  willing  to  pool  their  busi- 
ness interests,  to  take  some  business  risks  together. 
Probably  American  farmers  will  be  rather  slow  in  ap- 
plying this  principle  but  it  is  fundamental,  nevertheless, 
and  lies  at  the  foundation  of  a  permanent  system  of 
rural  credit,  which  in  turn  is  almost  essential  to  a 
permanent  agriculture. 

SOME  OTHER  APPLICATIONS  OF  THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA 

The  farm  community  may  produce  its  own  supplies 
to  a  considerable  degree.  It  may  partially  feed  itself. 
It  may  build  its  own  houses,  make  its  own  furniture, 
have  its  own  laundry,  can  or  preserve  its  own  surplus 
fruit,  produce  its  own  butter,  meat,  eggs  and  poultry, 
bake  its  own  bread;  it  may  even  do  its  own  sewing! 
Now  the  question  whether  the  community  will  do  these 
things  or  not  is  purely  one  of  economy.  If  it  is  cheaper 
to  buy  outside  of  the  community  that  should  be  done, 
if  it  is  cheaper  to  manufacture  and  buy  within  the  com- 
munity, that  should  be  done.  The  whole  idea  is 
what  is  best  for  the  community,  and  whether  a 
group  of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  people  will 
choose  to  do  its  own  business.  A  community  can  de- 
termine whether  it  is  properly  served  by  its  mer- 
chants and  its  blacksmiths.  Why  should  not  a 
community  decide  on  service  of  this  sort  as  well  as  on 
its  school  teacher  or  its  preacher  or  its  political  agents? 
Some  industrial  communities  have  a  community  physi- 
cian; why  not  a  rural  community?  The  household  ac- 
tivities may  sometimes  yield  themselves  to  the  coopera- 
tive idea.  A  community  kitchen  has  been  maintained 
in  Montclair,  N.  J.,  for  some  years.  Would  it  be  prac- 
ticable in  a  farm  village?     Three  or  four  cooperative 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  157 

laundries  have  been  in  operation  in  Minnesota  and 
Wisconsin  long  enough  to  prove  the  feasibihty  of  the 
plan. 

COMMUNITY    PROTECTION 

Nor  have  we  yet  exhausted  the  possibilities  of  the 
community  idea.  We  still,  to  a  considerable  extent, 
leave  the  individual  farmer  to  protect  himself  against 
unfavorable  conditions.  He  fights  his  own  potato  bugs 
and  tries  to  defend  himself  against  the  blight.  But 
effective  protection  is  almost  wholly  a  community  af- 
fair. Not  many  years  ago,  a  law  was  passed  in  some 
western  states  compelling  farmers  to  spray  against  cer- 
tain diseases,  and  why?  Simply  because  the  failure  of 
a  single  farmer  to  combat  a  pestiferous  insect  or  a  con- 
tagious disease  of  his  trees  made  him  a  menace  to  all 
his  neighbors.  The  whole  thing  becomes  a  community 
affair.  The  spread  of  weeds  is  very  serious  in  some 
regions.  It  is  possible  because  we  still  treat  the  mat- 
ter as  a  concern  of  the  individual  firmer.  But  the  in- 
jury falls  upon  the  entire  community  of  farmers.  A 
noxious  weed  law  in  Wisconsin  requires  that  every 
property  owner  destroy  certain  weeds  if  found  on  his 
land. 

THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  APPLIED  TO  COUNTRY  LIFE 

The  Education  of  the  Rural  People.  The  school  is 
perhaps  more  completely  a  community  institution  than 
any  other  agency  of  rural  endeavor.  For  decades,  and 
in  some  parts  of  the  country  for  generations,  its  main- 
tenance has  been  a  community  charge.  Every  family 
has  participated  in  the  cost  and  every  family  has  felt 
free  to  participate  in  the  advantages  of  the  school. 
But  the  rural  school  has  failed  thus  far  to  measure  up 
to  its  full  capacity  as  an  educational  institution,  both 


158     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

in  its  point  of  view  in  the  teaching  of  pupils  and  in  the 
narrow  range  of  its  influence  upon  adults.  John  and 
Mary  have  been  treated  as  individuals;  the  instruction 
has  had  comparatively  little  regard  to  the  relationship 
of  John  and  Mary  to  other  folks,  and  yet  it  is  the  rela- 
tions of  life  that  constitute  its  problems.  Teaching 
the  pupil  to  think  is  good,  but  to  think  about  what? 
Himself?  His  own  interests  alone?  Or  his  obliga- 
tions to  other  people,  the  common  good  and  interest? 
It  is  well  for  the  school  to  give  knowledge,  but  what 
sort  of  knowledge?  The  knowledge  that  has  to  do 
only  with  profit  and  loss?  Shall  the  school  not  seek  to 
impart  a  love  of  the  beautiful  in  literature  and  art? 
Shall  it  not  also  give  the  knowledge  of  what  races  and 
nations  and  communities  have  done  and  are  doing  and 
want  to  do?  Moreover  the  average  citi/en  has  never 
thought  of  the  school  as  intended  for  any  one  except 
children.  It  took  a  long  while  to  persuade  our  people 
that  the  high  school  should  be  maintained  at  public  ex- 
pense. In  some  parts  of  our  country  to-day,  there  is 
no  public  opinion  in  favor  of  the  publicly  supported 
college  or  university.  So  when  we  begin  to  talk  about 
the  relation  of  the  school  to  the  adult  people  of  a  rural 
community,  we  are  not  understood,  and  it  is  doubtful 
if  the  old-fashioned  district  school  with  its  meager 
equipment,  its  one  room,  its  poorly  paid  teacher,  can 
do  very  much  for  the  adults  of  the  community.  But 
a  consolidated  school,  with  several  teachers,  a  properly 
trained  principal  interested  in  rural  affairs  and  remain- 
ing in  the  community  until  his  leadership  is  proved,  a 
school  house  with  an  audience  room  that  will  seat  the 
people  of  the  community  —  give  us  these  and  then  we 
begin  to  see  what  the  school  may  do  for  the  adults. 
And  what  may  it  not  do?     Our  idea  of  the  education 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  159 

of  the  rural  people  (and  this  is  just  as  true  of  people 
in  the  city)  is  that  they  shall  be  perpetually  at  school. 
Our  aim  should  be  nothing  less  than  a  scheme  of  educa- 
tion, centering  in  the  rural  school,  utilizing  all  of  the 
organizations  and  agencies  of  education  whose  aid  can 
be  secured,  even  after  school  days,  to  keep  on  studying 
and  reading  and  thinking  about  the  problems  of  their 
community  and  of  the  world.  This  vital  application 
of  the  community  idea  to  the  education  of  the  rural 
people  is  of  the  utmost  importance. 

The  Home.  How  can  the  community  idea  best  be 
applied  to  the  home?  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
home  is  so  personal  an  affair  and  must  retain  its  privacy, 
no  home  is  a  true  home  until  it  has  developed  a  proper 
relation  to  the  community.  No  family  can  live  unto 
itself.  The  ideal  community  is  a  group  of  families 
that  form  one  big  family.  In  the  ideal  home  we  have 
the  divers  interests  and  capacities  and  tastes  of  each 
member  of  a  family  of  two  or  a  dozen,  as  the  case 
may  be,  all  merging  into  a  common  interest.  So  in  the 
ideal  community,  w^e  have  the  tastes  and  ambitions  and 
interests  and  capacities  of  all  the  members  of  the  com- 
munity merged  into  a  common  interest  and  ambition. 
In  the  home  perhaps  better  than  anywhere  else  can  be 
taught  just  these  ideals.  Indeed  if  they  are  not  taught 
and  practiced  in  the  home,  they  will  make  slow  head- 
way in  the  community.  So  that  the  application  of  the 
community  idea  to  the  home  becomes  one  of  the  great 
ideals  of  our  rural  life. 

The  Church.  The  country  church  has  had  a  won- 
derful history  and  has  done  a  wonderful  work.  In 
the  pioneer  days  it  saved  our  American  country  life 
from  sordidness  and  materialism.  The  preacher  and 
the  pioneer  farmer  went  west  together  and  together 


i6o     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

they  endured  the  hardships  of  that  early  life.  Never- 
theless, the  local  country  church  to-day  usually  regards 
itself  as  an  end  in  itself.  If  you  belong  to  the  church, 
well  and  good ;  if  you  don't,  well  and  worse  —  from  the 
church  point  of  view.  Those  in  the  church  are  saints; 
those  without  are  sinners.  The  success  of  the  church 
is  measured  quite  largely  by  the  number  of  its  members 
and  the  hum  of  its  machinery.  But  every  now  and  then 
we  find  a  country  pastor  or  a  country  congregation  that 
has  torn  itself  away  from  any  such  restricted  notion  as 
this,  and  has  come  to  understand  what  Jesus  meant 
when  he  remarked:  "He  that  loseth  his  life,  shall 
find  it,"  and  that  he  referred  to  groups  of  Christians 
as  well  as  to  the  individual  Christian.  In  other  words, 
when  the  church  thinks  chiefly  of  itself,  it  grows  weak 
and  ineffective.  When  it  thinks  chiefly  of  becoming  a 
pathway  to  glory  to  all  within  its  fold,  it  shrivels.  But 
when  it  becomes  a  ministering  agency  of  friendliness 
and  neighborliness  and  good  will  to  the  entire  com- 
munity, then  it  lives  and  grows  and  vitalizes  the  spirits 
of  men.  It  is  not  putting  the  matter  too  strongly  to 
say  that  the  country  church  will  regain  its  leadership  in 
rural  affairs  only  when  it  applies  the  community  idea  to 
its  motives  and  methods. 

The  Health  of  the  Community.  Health  should  be 
regarded  as  decidedly  a  community  asset.  It  is  always 
the  individual  who  is  ill,  and  so  the  knowledge  of  home 
care,  food  and  home  nursing  should  be  more  wide- 
spread. But  disease  really  affects  the  whole  commun- 
ity. It  reduces  the  working  power  of  the  community 
through  loss  of  time  and  money.  The  untimely  re- 
moval by  death  of  a  strong  member  of  the  community 
produces  a  loss  that  the  community  may  never  get  over. 
So  the  teaching  of  personal  hygiene  as  a  part  of  com- 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  i6i 

munity  education,  methods  of  prevention,  the  futility 
of  most  patent  medicines,  are  all  matters  of  importance. 
But  they  are  best  taught  on  a  community  basis,  so  that 
they  become  a  part  of  the  common  knowledge  of  the 
community.  In  the  preventing  of  the  spread  of  com- 
municable diseases,  the  community  idea  is  absolutely 
essential,  because  public  opinion  must  be  brought  to  a 
point  where  it  will  acquiesce  in  health  regulations  and 
indeed  insist  that  individuals  comply  with  them.  There 
ought  to  be  in  every  rural  community  health  study  clubs 
or  rural  health  leagues.  There  should  be  a  health 
program  for  the  community.  Unhealthful  places 
should  be  cleaned  up,  a  public  nurse  should  be  provided. 
Wherever  possible  there  should  be  a  health  center  and 
a  public  clinic.  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  com- 
munities may  be  expected  to  employ  their  own  physi- 
cian who  will  be  a  preventer  rather  than  a  curer  of 
disease.  In  more  populous  rural  communities,  espe- 
cially with  the  village  at  the  center,  community  baths 
are  not  without  the  possibilities.  The  community  hos- 
pital, or  at  least  a  hospital  service  for  a  group  of  com- 
munities, will  soon  become  an  essential  in  country  life. 

The  Community  at  Play.  Farmers  desire  recreation 
just  as  much  as  other  people  and  enjoy  it  just  as  much, 
and  in  the  better  farming  communities  there  is  a  vast 
deal  of  wholesome  recreation  for  both  the  old  and  the 
young.  But  every  investigation  that  has  ever  been 
made  on  this  subject  has  revealed  the  fact  that  as  a 
whole,  farmers  actually  do  not  play  enough.  Recrea- 
tion is  a  social  affair.  It  is  impossible  to  play  alone. 
It  is  difficult  to  get  very  much  recreation  any  great  dis- 
tance away  from  home.  Thus  the  play  of  the  children 
and  the  social  life  of  the  older  people  become  very  dis- 
tinctively a  community  affair.     How  can  play  better  be 


1 62     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

developed  in  the  rural  community?  For  the  young- 
sters the  school  is  the  natural  center  of  play  life,  partly 
because  that  is  where  children  are  and  partly  because 
the  right  sort  of  play  is  good  education.  Some  boys 
and  girls  learn  as  much  through  games  as  they  do  in 
school.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the 
Sunday  school,  the  Boy  Scouts  and  the  Camp  Fire  Girls 
all  have  possibilities  in  developing  play  that  is  organ- 
ized and  yet  not  artificial.  In  the  small  or  scattered 
rural  communities,  it  is  difficult  to  maintain  an  adequate 
play  life  for  the  youth  who  have  perhaps  left  school 
and  have  not  yet  joined  their  elders'  socials.  Perhaps 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  working  in  the 
country  districts  as  they  do,  are  more  likely  to  work 
out  this  problem  successfully  than  any  other  institution. 
But  these  agencies  work  on  a  community  basis;  they 
bring  together  the  young  people  of  the  larger  neighbor- 
hoods. They  do  not  deal  very  much  with  the  indi- 
vidual alone,  on  the  one  hand,  nor  with  big  scattered 
groups  on  the  other.  For  the  older  people,  the  church 
and  the  Grange  or  similar  organizations  make  an  out- 
let. The  chief  difficulties  are  not  so  much  in  agencies 
as  in  difficulties  of  getting  together.  It  is  here,  of 
course,  that  good  roads  have  a  part  in  the  right  sort  of 
community  life.  The  community  should  make  recrea- 
tion a  part  of  its  program  —  community  picnics  and 
sociables;  the  keeping  of  holidays  and  celebrations  by 
the  entire  community;  the  community  paper;  the  com- 
munity drama,  developing  the  theatrical  talent  of  the 
community;  community  musicals,  the  natural  inheritor 
of  the  traditions  of  the  old  singing  schools;  community 
excursions  to  the  state  agricultural  college  of  the  nearby 
city  or  the  state  fair;  the  community  motion  pictures  or 
at  least  community  oversight  of  the  motion  pictures; 


THE  COMMUNITY  IDEA  163 

the  entertainment  course,  adapted  to  all  the  people  of 
the  community;  community  sport  or  play  days  for  old 
and  young;  inter-community  contests  of  various  sorts, 
athletic  and  intellectual;  how  much  richer  life  will  be 
wherever  a  community  decides  to  have  such  a  program 
of  recreation. 

The  Community  Beautiful.  Nature  has  done  her 
part  for  the  country.  Unfortunately  man  has  often 
done  his  part  to  spoil  it  all.  Straight  highways,  square 
corners,  the  absence  of  shade  trees,  unsightly  weeds,  un- 
kempt door  yards,  box-like  houses  are  altogether  too 
common  in  our  American  country  life.  It  is  possible 
without  great  expense  to  develop  a  set  of  beautiful  com- 
munities in  the  country  side.  We  need  a  rural  archi- 
tecture, simple  but  charming.  We  may  locate  farm 
buildings  so  as  to  render  the  plant  both  convenient  and 
attractive.  The  use  of  fruit  trees  as  well  as  of  shade 
trees  in  the  highways;  the  development  of  parklets  or 
squares  in  the  country  villages  after  the  fashion  of  the 
old  New  England  village  common;  the  proper  location, 
architecture  and  landscape  surroundings  of  such  build- 
ings as  the  school,  the  church,  the  Grange  hall,  the  town 
hall,  the  library  and  the  community  house  are  possibili- 
ties within  the  reach  of  multitudes  of  farmers,  once 
public  opinion  of  the  community  insists  upon  it.  If 
these  things  cost  a  great  deal  of  money,  perhaps  they 
might  not  be  so  strongly  urged,  but  it  is  largely  a  mat- 
ter of  community  enterprise  and  education  and  in- 
sistence. There  are  plenty  of  farmers  and  farmers' 
wives  who  want  these  things,  but  they  have  to  treat 
them  as  individual  matters.  They  must  now  set  the 
community  to  work  to  get  them. 

The  Socializing  of  Rural  Morality.  What  is  meant 
by  this?     Simply  that  we  can  no  longer  consider  the 


1 64     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

wrong  doing  of  an  individual  as  merely  his  own  affair. 
A  bad  man  is  a  plague  spot  in  a  community.  Thou- 
sands of  men  would  almost  give  their  right  arms  if 
they  could  have  avoided  in  youth  certain  contacts  with 
men  who  were  not  clean.  We  have  been  too  tolerant 
of  sin  and  too  intolerant  of  the  sinner.  We  must  re- 
verse our  scaies  and  contend  the  evil  by  extending  a 
friendly  hand  to  the  repentant.  But  what  can  be  done 
in  the  rural  community?  Well,  if  every  wrong  were  to 
become  a  community  affair,  it  would  be  easier  to  en- 
force the  law.  At  present,  it  is  difficult  to  enforce  law 
in  the  rural  community  because  enforcement  is  such  a 
personal  affair  between  people  who  know  one  another. 
But  once  public  opinion  demands  right  doing  and  the 
officer  of  the  law  knows  that  he  is  representative  not 
of  his  own  authority,  but  of  the  community,  he  will  be 
obeyed.  Then  too  rightness  can  be  made  a  fundamen- 
tal article  in  community  program.  Unify  the  religious 
and  moral  forces  that  abide  in  the  church,  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  rural  Y.  M.  C.  A.  into  a  combination  of 
high  ideals  and  practices.  Lay  the  foundations  for 
good  morals  by  clean  sport  for  the  young  and  healthy 
recreation  for  the  older  ones.  Make  morality  red- 
blooded.  Banish  the  long-faced  preacher  and  elect  no 
man  a  church  deacon  unless  the  boys  in  the  church  nom- 
inate him.  Hold  aloft  the  ideal  of  a  righteous  com- 
munity. The  life  of  the  rural  people  is  the  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  rural  problem.  Therefore  it  ought 
to  be  the  concern  of  every  rural  community  to  see  that 
in  education,  in  home  life,  in  church  life,  in  health  and 
recreation,  in  beauty  and  convenience  and  morality, 
high  ideals  are  maintained  and  practiced  and  continu- 
ous steps  taken  to  build  up  the  sort  of  life  that  the  best 
people  at  all  times  and  all  people  in  their  best  moments 
acknowledge  as  half  of  the  great  end  of  living. 


CHAPTER  X 
ORGANIZING  THE  RURAL  COMMUNITY 

THE    OBJECT 

The  main  object  of  organizing  the  rural  community  is 
to  try  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  all  associated  effort 
and  individual  influence  on  behalf  of  a  generally  ac- 
cepted plan  or  program  for  improving  the  community 
at  all  points.  By  reason  of  such  cooperative  endeavor, 
should  emerge  at  last  a  group  of  people  with  one  mind 
as  to  the  desirability  of  working  together  for  one  large 
purpose  and  in  the  finest  spirit  of  cooperation.  Re- 
member again  that  organization  is  merely  the  coopera- 
tion of  all  the  people.  It  is  an  assembling  of  all  fac- 
tors that  make  for  better  working  and  living  together. 
It  implies  a  group  of  people  working  as  one.  The 
ideal  is  the  most  complete  possible  cooperation  of  all 
individuals  and  all  groups  in  a  small  natural  area,  mak- 
ing their  best  efforts  in  the  common  task  of  securing 
the  greatest  possible  improvement  in  all  things  that 
make  for  the  common  good. 

THE    FIRST    STEPS 

There  must  be  some  new  "  machinery  "  for  the  pur- 
pose of  this  organization,  otherwise  it  is  difficult  to 
draw  out  leadership  in  community  enterprises.  But 
few  communities  need  a  new  organization.  Indeed, 
what  is  wanted  is  not  an  organization  at  all  in  the  usual 
meaning  of  the  word,  but  rather  a  clearing  house  for 

165 


1 66     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

existing  associated  effort,  a  "  round  table  "  on  the  best 
ways  of  developing  the  best  interests  of  the  community 
and  how  each  agency  and  each  individual  can  best  help. 
The  start  may  be  made  by  any  person  or  any  group  of 
persons  that  is  so  minded  —  the  Grange  or  master  of 
the  Grange,  the  school  superintendent,  the  church  or 
the  pastor  of  the  church,  the  farm  bureau  or  the  farm- 
ers' club.  It  makes  little  difference  what  particular 
form  of  organization  shall  be  developed. 

It  is,  of  course,  necessary  that  at  the  outset  there 
should  be  meetings  of  citizens  to  discuss  the  question  of 
community  organization.  The  whole  matter  should  be 
carefully  explained  by  some  one  who  really  knows  about 
it,  so  that  the  community  idea  may  be  perfectly  clear 
at  the  outset.  Beyond  that,  no  hard  and  fast  method 
of  organization  need  be  urged.  Experience  has  shown, 
however,  that  there  are  some  plans  worth  adopting  if 
best  results  are  expected.  They  comprise  the  follow- 
ing and  each  will  be  discussed  briefly: 

1.  The  Community  Council. 

2.  Gaining  the  Facts. 

3.  The  Community  Program. 

4.  The   Community   Meeting. 

5.  The   Community  Center. 

6.  The   Community  Goal. 

THE  COMMUNITY  COUNCIL THE  ONE  ESSENTIAL 

It  is  practically  impossible  to  build  a  true  com- 
munity and  develop  its  activities  fully  without  some  sort 
of  central  group  which  in  some  way  represents  the  en- 
tire community  and  all  its  interests.  The  name  applied 
to  this  group  does  not  matter;  it  may  be  called  a  com- 
munity committee,  a  community  group,  a  community 
federation,  or  what  not.      "  Community  council  "  is  a 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY      167 

term  that  seems  best  to  convey  the  complete  purpose 
and  task  of  this  central  group.  No  one  club  or  asso- 
ciation or  institution  can  do  all  the  work  that  needs 
doing  in  a  community,  nor  can  it  possibly  represent  the 
entire  community.  Whether  there  are  two  agencies 
or  twenty  in  a  community,  there  is  the  same  need  that 
they  shall  cooperate  for  the  common  interests  of  the 
community. 

The  Make-Up  of  the  Council.  There  are  two  prin- 
ciples applying  to  the  organization  of  a  community 
council.  It  is  desirable  that  each  agency  in  the  com- 
munity shall  be  officially  represented,  the  Grange  or 
Farmers'  Union,  the  farmers'  club,  each  church,  the 
school,  the  woman's  club,  even  the  fraternal  organiza- 
tions may  be  admitted.  It  must  be  understood  that 
what  we  are  seeking  is  to  "  speed  up  "  or  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  work  of  each  existing  agency,  not  to 
deprive  it  of  its  work.  Consequently  each  should  play 
a  part  in  the  general  plan.  That  is  just  what  com- 
munity organization  means  —  to  bring  together  exist- 
ing forces,  not  to  make  a  new  machine.  If  there  are 
not  very  many  agencies  in  the  community,  a  council 
having  half  a  dozen  to  fifteen  members  will  represent 
them  all  very  well;  If  there  happens  to  be  a  larger 
number,  then  the  council  may  be  larger.  The  other 
principle  is  to  make  sure  to  have  In  the  council  the 
natural  leaders  In  the  community.  These  leaders  may 
not  always  be  officials  In  the  different  agencies  nor  the 
chosen  representatives  of  those  agencies.  So  It  does 
very  well  to  add  to  the  council  from  three  to  five  mem- 
bers at  large.  It  Is  well  to  have  a  constitution  and 
by-laws,  models  for  which  can  be  obtained  as  a  rule 
from  the  extension  service  of  the  state  agricultural  col- 
lege. 


i68     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Committees  of  the  Council.  There  are  four  com- 
mittees that  seem  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  cover  the 
main  interests  of  a  community,  as  follows : 

1.  On  production. 

2.  On  marketing  and  other  businers  interests. 

3.  On  conservation. 

4.  On  community  life. 

But  there  may  be  as  many  sub-committees  as  there  are 
problems,  covering  such  interests  as  good  roads,  farm- 
ers' exchanges,  recreation,  education,  community  plan- 
ning, health  and  sanitation,  local  government  and  so  on. 
The  Activities  of  the  Council.  The  task  of  the 
council  is  to  confer,  not  to  direct  or  manage.  It  should 
consider  such  questions  as  these: 

1.  A  community  study. 

2.  A   community  program, 

3.  The  work  of  each  agency  in  carrying  out  the 
program. 

4.  Community  meetings  and  conferences  relative 
to  the  program  and  its  progress. 

5.  The  need  of  new  association. 

6.  Bringing  the  community  into  touch  with  other 
communities  and  with  county,  state  and  na- 
tional activities. 

The  Coynmunity  Secretary.  It  is  desirable  to  have 
a  community  secretary.  The  ideal,  possibly,  would  be 
the  employment  of  a  person  who  could  give  full  time 
to  the  interests  of  the  community.  But  this  is  hardly 
possible  in  most  rural  communities,  and  there  are,  no 
doubt,  certain  advantages  in  having  not  a  professional 
community  manager  but  a  voluntary  worker  who  gives 
freely  of  his  time  and  energy  and  thought.  This  of- 
ficial would  probably  be  the  secretary  of  the  council, 
chosen  by  it  to  serve  as  its  executive  agent.      Choice 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY      169 

may  fall  upon  the  master  or  the  lecturer  of  the  Grange, 
upon  the  pastor  of  the  church,  upon  the  superintendent 
of  schools  or  the  principal  of  the  consolidated  school, 
or  upon  the  person  who  teaches  agriculture  in  the 
school.  The  community  secretary  becomes  a  sort  of 
community  engineer.  He  studies  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity and  what  other  communities  are  doing.  He 
brings  these  needs  to  the  attention  of  the  council.  He 
endeavors  to  see  that  the  different  agencies  are  carry- 
ing out  their  program,  tries  to  discover  whether  the 
program  is  working.  He  puts  fuel  under  the  boilers. 
He  would  naturally  represent  the  council  at  county  and 
state  conferences.  Here  is  literally  a  new  profession 
opening  up  in  country  communities.  But  let  us  not  be 
alarmed  at  the  extent  of  his  duties.  There  is  not  a 
farming  area  in  America  which  has  not  some  one  in  it 
who  already  does  many  of  these  things.  We  need  to 
systematize  and  organize  more  fully  and  to  be  more 
definite  in  our  purposes  and  plans.  This  community 
secretary  will  be  a  tower  of  strength  in  accomplishing 
results. 

Community  "Pace  Makers."  We  are  Indebted  to 
Minnesota  for  suggesting  a  unique  phase  of  local  com- 
munity leadership.  Not  only  do  we  want  a  community 
secretary,  but  we  want  some  one  in  the  community, 
chosen  by  the  community,  who  is  the  recognized  leader 
in  some  one  field  and  who  will  take  the  responsibility 
for  endeavoring  to  push  that  interest  in  the  community. 
One  man  may  be  a  corn  expert,  another  an  apple  ex- 
pert, another  a  stock  breeder,  another  especially  in- 
terested in  schools  and  education.  There  will  be,  of 
course,  women  pace  makers  for  household  manage- 
ment, child  training,  home  decoration  and  so  on. 
There  should  be  as  many  pace  makers  as  there  are 


I70    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

problems.  Each  one  will  make  a  study  of  the  question, 
keep  abreast  the  times,  confer  with  specialists,  read 
and  study  and  lead  discussion  clubs  on  his  particular 
subject  and  in  all  possible  ways  endeavor  to  lead  the 
community  to  maximum  improvement. 

The  Community  Council  a  Planning,  not  an  Achiev- 
ing, Body.  Theie  is  always  a  temptation  when  we  get 
a  new  type  of  organization  to  judge  the  results  wholly 
by  the  activities  and  achievements  of  the  organization. 
So  the  community  council  will  be  tempted  "  to  do  some- 
thing "  in  order  to  justify  its  existence.  But  to  do 
something  is  not  the  job  of  the  council.  Its  task  is  to 
get  others  to  do  the  right  thing  in  the  best  way  for  the 
interests  of  the  whole  community.  It  plans  but  it  does 
not  execute.  It  secures  team  work.  In  some  cases,  it 
may  be  necessary  for  the  council  or  one  of  Its  commit- 
tee to  supervise  a  definite  piece  of  work,  but  It  ought 
never  to  do  this  as  long  as  there  Is  some  other  agency 
that  can  do  It.  We  may  be  sure  that  a  community 
council  will  have  plenty  to  do  In  keeping  the  community 
idea  alive  and  growing  and  In  seeing  that  the  com- 
munity program  forges  ahead. 

The  Community  Council  Independent.  A  commun- 
ity council  would  be  an  absolute  failure  If  It  were  the 
property  of  any  local  organization  or  of  any  farm 
bureau  or  of  any  school  system  or  of  any  agricultural 
college  or  of  any  other  overhead  agency.  It  Is  the 
property  of  the  community,  appointed  by  the  entire 
community,  responsible  only  to  the  community.  Of 
course  the  council  should  cooperate  with  all  agencies 
outside  of  the  community  that  can  really  help,  but  It 
cannot  be  managed  by  a  county  council,  a  state  council 
or  any  other  body.  It  Is  the  free  agent  of  a  free  com- 
munity. 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     171 


GAINING   THE    FACTS 

Before  a  community  can  make  a  plan,  It  must  know 
the  facts  about  Itself.  What  are  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity? What  are  the  best  things  that  exist  In  the 
community?  What  are  Its  resources,  natural  and  hu- 
man? What  are  the  possibilities  of  the  community? 
So  we  need  first  of  all: 

A  Community  Inventory.  The  community  Inven- 
tory Is  just  a  little  self  study  by  the  community  Itself. 
It  brings  together  in  orderly  form  the  knowledge  and 
the  insight  of  the  people  themselves  about  themselves. 
The  modern  farmer  who  buys  a  new  farm  considers  It 
essential  to  have  a  definite  plan  of  development  and 
of  management.  But  he  knows  that  a  prerequisite  to 
the  Information  of  that  plan  is  knowledge  —  knowl- 
edge of  the  farm  and  of  the  market,  of  the  type  of 
soil,  the  history  of  the  farm,  the  climate,  the  roads. 
All  these  are  factors  in  determining  his  plan.  He  must 
know  his  farm.  So  if  a  farming  community  decides  to 
make  Itself  the  best  possible  community,  the  prerequi- 
site is  knowledge  —  It  must  know  Itself.  What  are 
the  natural  resources  of  the  community;  how  have  the 
resources  been  used;  what  are  the  possibilities  of  Im- 
provement? Is  the  farm  life  all  it  ought  to  be? 
Wherein  is  it  strong  and  wherein  deficient?  It  Is  not 
necessary  to  presuppose  that  the  community  inventory 
means  the  existence  of  a  "  sick "  neighborhood. 
Knowledge  is  indispensable  to  efficiency,  and  desire  for 
greater  efficiency  is  no  sign  of  decrepitude.  The  de- 
sire of  the  farmers  in  any  nel^^hborhood  to  study  them- 
selves, as  a  starting  point  for  developing  a  better  com- 
munity, is  an  indication,  not  of  decadence,  but  of  vi- 
tality.    Only    the    "  live  "    man    desires  to   Improve. 


172     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Only  the  community  with  life  enough  within  it  to  pos- 
sess a  "  divine  discontent  "  with  present  conditions,  no 
matter  how  good  they  may  be,  is  the  community  in 
which  one  likes  to  reside. 

The  Cojfimunily  Study.  It  may  be  worth  while  to 
ask  the  farm  bureau  or  agricultural  college  to  send 
specialists  into  the  community  for  the  purpose  of  help- 
ing to  map  out  a  community  program  by  studying  rather 
fully  the  resources,  needs  and  possibilities  of  the  com- 
munity. If  each  community  would  do  this,  after  a 
time  it  would  have  a  program  covering  all  aspects  of 
community  improvement  based  on  full  knowledge  of 
conditions.  This  is  the  ideal.  Such  a  study  would  do 
more  than  reveal  conditions.  It  would  inspire  prog- 
ress. Live  people  do  not  need  much  preaching. 
Their  best  inspiration  to  improvement  is  a  vision  of 
needs.  Once  a  good  farming  community  realized  its 
deficiencies  as  well  as  its  resources,  it  would  insist  upon 
a  plan  for  improvement.  Community  study  leads  at 
once  to  community-consciousness,  a  community  pro- 
gram and  community  effort. 

THE    COMMUNITY    PROGRAM 

When  a  community  knows  the  main  facts  about  itself, 
it  will  develop  a  community  policy  and  a  community 
program.  The  possession  of  a  policy  simply  means 
that  the  people  of  the  community  have  decided  the 
direction  in  which  and  where  they  want  to  go;  the 
program  consists  of  the  successive  steps  that  must  be 
taken  in  order  to  arrive.  The  community  program 
covers  the  whole  field  of  the  community  problem,  what 
improvements  are  desirable  and  how  they  can  be 
brought  about  in  farm  production  and  management,  in 
farm  business,  and  in  community  life.     The  program 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     173 

will  be  based  on  the  community  inventory,  supple- 
mented later  by  the  fuller  expert  study.  The  program 
lays  down  the  practical  steps  necessary  in  order  to 
carry  out  the  aims  or  policy  of  the  community.  It 
will  deal  with  the  steps  necessary  to  make  what  might 
be  called  the  ideal  community,  but  it  will  be  very  prac- 
tical and  take  up  even  minor  matters  of  reform.  The 
program  must  grow  out  of  a  cooperative  agreement 
adopted  by  the  committees  of  the  council,  by  the  coun- 
cil itself,  and  finally  accepted  by  the  community  at  a 
conference. 

The  council  will  assign  tasks  to  the  different  agencies. 
Existing  institutions  must  do  the  work  if  they  can,  but 
new  agencies  must  be  developed  if  they  are  necessary. 
If  possible,  needless  agencies  will  be  eliminated. 
There  will  be  also  a  checking-up  of  results  through 
frequent  reports  of  the  different  agencies  and  from  the 
committees  of  the  council.  It  is  important  to  develop 
and  maintain  study  clubs  or  groups  perhaps  of  only 
three  or  four  people,  and  it  may  be  of  21;  or  30,  each 
group  to  take  up  some  local  problem  and  study  it  in 
the  light  of  general  principles  and  of  outside  move- 
ments, and  particularly  its  application  to  the  commun- 
ity. Here  is  the  chance  for  the  "  pace  makers  "  and 
here  is  the  chance,  too,  for  the  local  school,  as  well  as 
for  the  extension  service  of  the  agricultural  college. 
The  work  of  the  farm  bureaus  and  of  the  extension 
service  of  the  college,  indeed  the  work  of  all  educa- 
tional agencies,  should  fit  in  with  the  program  and  need 
of  the  particular  community.  All  educational  ma- 
chinery should  be  geared  to  the  policy  and  needs  of 
the  community. 

The  community  program  is  designed  as  much  to 
arouse  community  will  as  for  anything  else.      Hereto- 


174    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

fore,  in  seeking  community  improvement,  we  have  been 
content  with  the  scattered  efforts  of  various  agencies. 
Now  what  we  want  is  to  have  the  community  as  a  whole 
act  and  plan  for  itself.  But  it  cannot  do  this  unless  it 
has  the  will  to  do  it  and  to  keep  at  it.  A  plan  that 
everybody  can  understand  and  discuss  and  have  a  part 
in,  helps  to  develop  and  strengthen  the  community  will. 

THE    COMMUNITY   MEETING 

The  New  England  town  meeting  is  the  most  demo- 
cratic institution  of  the  American  government,  because 
it  calls  together  the  people  of  the  community  to  talk 
over  their  common  interests.  In  the  old  days,  it  was 
decidedly  a  community  meeting  because  it  dealt  with 
all  of  the  interests  of  the  people.  Gradually,  it  be- 
came purely  a  political  or  governmental  meeting  and 
so  is  restricted  in  its  operations.  It  deals  only  with 
those  affairs  for  which  public  money  is  to  be  expended. 
But  we  need  everywhere  frequent  community  meetings 
for  the  discussion  of  all  these  common  needs  and  pur- 
poses of  the  community. 

Regular  Meetings.  Community  meetings  should  be 
held  regularly  at  least  four  times  a  year,  or  better,  once 
a  month;  perhaps  in  some  communities  during  a  part 
of  the  year  they  could  be  held  as  often  as  once  a  week; 
but  it  is  vital  to  bring  the  people  of  the  community 
together  rather  frequently  to  confer  about  their  com- 
mon welfare. 

Definite  Objects.  There  is  little  good  in  meetings 
of  a  general  character,  certainly  no  good  at  all  in  meet- 
ings for  the  sake  of  a  meeting.  There  must  be  some- 
thing worth  while  to  discuss,  such  as  the  big  problem 
of  community  organization;  the  items  in  the  community 
program;  reports  of  progress  in  the  community  pro- 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     175 

gram;  reviewing  the  program  from  time  to  time;  and 
finally  subjects  of  general  interest.  This  last  need 
leads  us  to  recommend: 

The  Community  Forum.  The  community  forum  is 
the  gathering  of  the  people  of  the  community  to  listen 
to  and  question  a  speaker  who  is  supposed  to  have  a 
message  about  a  matter  of  national  or  world-wide  im- 
portance. The  forum  takes  the  place  of  the  old  coun- 
try lyceum.  It  is  not  a  lecture  club  in  which  the  orator 
is  expected  or  obliged  to  amuse  or  please  the  audience. 
It  is  a  discussion.  There  must  be  question  and  answer. 
It  is  a  great  school  of  democracy  when  properly 
handled.  It  can  be  developed  as  a  part  of  a  com- 
munity council,  although  there  is  a  recognized  forum 
organization  in  existence.  In  the  country  districts, 
however,  we  do  not  want  to  multiply  machinery,  and 
there  is  no  good  reason  why  the  community  council 
could  not  make  the  community  forum  a  regular  part  of 
its  service  to  the  community. 

The  Community  Conference.  The  community  con- 
ference is  simply  one  form  of  the  community  meeting 
and  in  smaller  communities  will  not  be  needed. 
Ideally,  the  community  meeting  is  a  meeting  where  ab- 
solutely everybody  in  the  community  comes  to  discuss 
community  problems;  but  In  the  well  organized  and 
larger  community,  there  Is  need  for  real  and  frequent 
conferences  of  a  comparatively  small  group  concerning 
fundamental  plans  —  meetings  where  a  long  look  is 
taken  into  the  future  and  possibly  where  experts  or  spe- 
cialists are  called  in  to  assist.  Conferences  will  usually 
be  on  specific  improvements  such  as  roads,  health,  dis- 
posal of  sewage,  a  farmers'  exchange,  community 
breeding,  etc. 

The  Community  Extension  School.     In  many  states 


176     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  agricultural  colleges  and  farm  bureaus  cooperating 
hold  extension  schools  lasting  perhaps  three  or  four 
days.  These  have  been  warmly  supported  by  the  farm- 
ers as  a  rule.  There  ought  to  be  in  each  community 
each  year  a  school  in  which  teaching  should  be  done 
by  specialists  —  not  necessarily  all  of  them  college 
men  and  women  —  but  real  specialists  who  can  really 
teach  the  farmers  something.  But  this  school  should 
have  for  its  subject  matter  those  fields  of  thought  that 
have  a  bearing  upon  the  problems  and  programs  of  the 
community.  In  other  words,  the  extension  school 
should  tie  up  with  the  most  pressing  needs  of  the  com- 
munity and  should  throw  light  upon  how  the  needs 
can  be  met. 

THE    COMMUNITY    CENTER 

There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  discussion  during  the 
past  twenty  years  concerning  the  establishment  of  a 
community  center.  Very  recently  the  community  cen- 
ter movement  has  swept  the  country  and  is  being  pushed 
not  only  in  cities  but  in  rural  districts.  What  does  all 
this  mean  and  how  important  is  it?  Various  plans 
have  been  suggested  from  time  to  time  and  each  has  its 
advocates. 

The  Church  as  a  Community  Center.  For  some 
years  there  was  considerable  advocacy  of  the  idea  of 
making  the  church  the  rural  neighborhood  center.  It 
is  perfectly  practicable  to  make  any  one  church  a  center 
for  many  community  activities.  No  doubt  that  is  de- 
sirable in  many  cases;  but  wherever  there  is  more  than 
one  church  in  a  community,  the  plan  for  making  the 
church  a  community  center  is  barred  from  considera- 
tion. But  suppose  there  is  only  one  church  —  then  is 
not  the  way  clear  for  making  that  church  a  true  com- 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     177 

munity  center,  the  church  building  a  true  neighborhood 
house?  Yes;  the  way  is  clear,  and  the  plan  is  worth 
trying.  But  after  all  are  the  best  results  to  the  com- 
munity likely  to  accrue  from  dependence  upon  a  single 
institution,  no  matter  how  strong  and  active?  Is  it, 
moreover,  the  real  function  of  the  church  to  furnish 
the  complete  machinery  for  all  community  activities? 
Is  not  the  task  of  the  church  to  infuse  the  spirit  and 
motive  into  the  activities  of  all  individual  and  collective 
life  rather  than  to  embody  the  tangible  expression  of 
those  activities? 

The  School  as  a  Community  Center.  How  about 
the  school  as  a  community  center?  In  case  of  the 
small  district  school,  the  limitations  of  the  building  are 
such  that  its  use  for  general  purposes  by  adults  is  not 
practicable.  It  is  too  small,  the  seats  are  not  made  for 
adults.  Of  course  It  may  serve  after  a  fashion  for 
community  gatherings.  But  if  It  Is  to  be  a  community 
center,  it  needs  additions  that  make  It  virtually  a  neigh- 
borhood house.  Suppose  however  we  are  about  to 
erect  a  new  schoolhouse  which  is  to  be  the  only  school 
building  In  the  community.  Suppose  this  Is  to  be  a 
real  country-life  school.  Why  not  make  the  building 
also  a  neighborhood  house  and  the  real  community 
center?  Fine  !  But  the  question  would  arise  whether 
we  have  built  a  schoolhouse  or  a  neighborhood  house. 
The  suggestion  comes  at  once,  why  not  Incorporate  the 
schoolhouse  In  the  neighborhood  house?  This  may 
often  prove  wholly  practicable  and,  If  practicable,  both 
economical  and  desirable  —  economical  because  it 
saves  one  building,  desirable  because  it  brings  the  school 
life  and  work  into  natural  harmony  with  the  community 
activities.  The  weakness  of  advocating  the  school  as 
a  community  center  lies  In  the  fact  that  this  Is  prac- 


178     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ticable  in  only  a  few  communities,  at  least  for  some  time 
to  come,  and  further  in  the  danger  of  providing  in- 
adequately for  activities  if  the  needs  of  the  building 
for  school  use  are  the  first  consideration. 

The  Community  House.  There  are  places  here  and 
there,  and  probably  a  good  many  of  them  in  the  aggre- 
gate, which  have  actually  established  community  or 
neighborhood  houses  equipped  for  all  community  uses, 
where  people  may  foregather  perhaps  chiefly  for  recre- 
ation, but  also  for  other  purposes,  A  community- 
house  is  usually  the  center  of  the  recreational  life  of 
the  neighborhood  or  community,  both  for  old  and 
young. 

The  Town  Hall.  The  town  hall  has  not  much  util- 
ity outside  of  New  England,  but  is  worth  mentioning 
because  in  that  region  it  often  is  by  all  odds  the  best 
natural  community  center  so  far  as  the  building  is  con- 
cerned. 

ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  THE  COMMUNITY  CENTER  IDEA 

Let  us  not  commit  ourselves  to  the  idea  that  the  com- 
munity will  find  any  one  building  or  institution  desir- 
able for  all  its  purposes.  In  many  cases,  undoubtedly 
the  consolidated  school,  for  example,  is  the  best  place 
for  a  community  center.  But  there  is  something  be- 
hind the  community  center  notion  bigger  than  any 
particular  building  or  institution.  Instead,  we  may 
find  that  it  is  not  a  building  we  want  but  a  group  of 
buildings,  preferably,  though  not  necessarily,  grouped 
in  the  geographical  center  of  the  community,  each 
building  embodying  some  large  general  interest.  Let 
us  illustrate : 

I.  Tlie  Farmers'  Exchange.  It  would  be  well  if 
each  farming  community  had  headquarters  for  all  its 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     179 

business  interests,  where  the  buying  and  selling  of 
products  could  be  carried  on,  and  which  would  also 
contain  a  meeting  place  for  the  farmers  to  discuss 
their  business  problems.  Where  the  Grange  exercises 
a  real  leadership  in  the  community,  it  is  quite  possible 
the  Grange  hall  could  be  used  for  this  purpose;  al- 
though as  a  rule  the  farmers'  exchange  must  be  at  some 
center  where  the  farmers'  business  is  actually  carried  on. 

2.  The  Schoolhouse.  The  schoolhouse  surely 
ought  to  be  the  center,  at  least,  of  all  the  educational 
and  cultural  interests  of  the  community.  The  consoli- 
dated school  lends  itself  to  this  work  most  admirably 
and  this  is  one  of  the  main  reasons  why  consolidated 
schools  ought  to  be  advocated.  Such  a  school  may 
house  the  community  library,  which  unfortunately  is 
poorly  developed  in  most  farming  communities.  The 
schoolhouse  is  the  natural  meeting  place  for  study 
clubs,  for  lecture  courses,  and  for  the  community  for- 
ums; for  extension  schools  and  continuation  schools; 
for  museums  and  educational  exhibits.  The  commun- 
ity should  keep  itself  at  school  and  the  school  should 
serve  always  the  educational  interests  of  old  as  well 
as  young. 

3.  The  Community  House.  The  community  also 
needs  a  sociable  center,  that  is,  a  place  where  there  will 
be  no  cliques,  but  where  all  the  people  of  the  community 
can  meet  for  common  recreation  and  sociable  inter- 
course. The  community  house  is  most  helpful  in  de- 
veloping this  side  of  community  life.  It  is  virtually 
a  farmers'  clubhouse.  If  the  school  does  not  furnish 
a  playground  for  youngsters,  perhaps  such  a  field  could 
be  connected  with  the  community  house.  At  any  rate, 
there  should  be  games,  a  motion  picture  equipment, 
a  stage  for  theatricals  and  musicals,  a  piano  —  frankly, 


i8o     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

we  want  to  develop  an  amusement  hall  owned  and  man- 
aged by  the  community. 

4.  The  Church.  The  church  ought  to  be  the  natural 
and  recognized  center  of  the  great  ideals  and  the  spir- 
itual refreshments  of  life.  It  is  the  supreme  place  for 
considering  the  rightness  rather  than  the  expediency  of 
action.  A  church,  of  course,  must  be  a  friendly  place 
because  friendship  is  the  most  religious  thing  in  the 
world.  But  perhaps  it  ought  to  be  less  of  a  social  club 
and  more  of  a  community  school  of  practical  religion 
than  it  has  ever  been  before.  Certainly  teaching  and 
discussion  of  community  affairs  and  of  world-wide  af- 
fairs from  the  religious  point  of  view  must  be  a  large 
part  of  a  successful  church.  The  great  fundamental 
purpose  of  the  church  as  a  community  affair  is  to  try  to 
lead  the  people  to  discover,  through  conferences  and 
worship  and  friendly,  brotherly  discussion,  how  the 
teachings  of  the  great  religious  leaders,  but  primarily 
the  teachings  of  Jesus  himself  can  be  applied  in  the 
daily  work  and  life  of  the  people  of  the  community. 

Community  Centers  rather  than  a  Community  Cen- 
ter. Now  this  program  may  seem  altogether  too  big 
for  the  average  rural  community,  but  if  we  stop  to 
think  about  it,  it  is  not  so  serious  as  it  seems.  First, 
a  farmers'  exchange  or  cooperative  business  organiza- 
tion wherever  it  is  established,  must  have  headquarters. 
Make  these  headquarters  the  rallying  point  of  all  the 
business  interests  of  a  community  and  you  establish 
at  once  an  economic  center  of  the  community.  Every 
community  has  a  school,  perhaps  several  of  them. 
Simply  enlarge  the  work  and  functions  of  the  school 
and  build  a  schoolhouse  adapted  to  these  new  func- 
tions. The  modern  consolidated  school  building  ac- 
tually does  this  very  thing  and  has  just  these  uses.      Not 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     i8i 

many  communities  have  a  neighborhood  or  community 
house,  but  every  community  has  at  least  one  church; 
so  that  in  advocating  this  sort  of  program,  we  are 
really  simply  making  use  of  existing  buildings  and 
agencies  as  community  centers,  except  that  we  set  the 
community  house  (which,  by  the  way,  may  be  some  ex- 
isting building  in  the  community)  as  something  to 
strive  for. 

Let  us  get  firmly  fixed  the  thought  that  the  mere 
enthusiasm  for  a  community  center  is  not  necessarily 
good  in  itself.  What  we  want  is  something  that  brings 
the  community  together,  that  gives  the  community  in- 
terests a  hearthstone,  as  it  were,  a  building  which  will 
be  the  concern  and  practical  expression  of  community 
interests.  We  find  at  least  four  main  interests  in 
every  community. 

The  community  working. 
The  community  learning. 
The  community  playing. 
The  community  worshiping. 

It  would  seem  natural  and  fitting  that  each  one  of 
these  interests  should  have  its  particular  building  or 
center.  But  if  the  people  of  the  community  think  it 
desirable  and  experience  proves  that  it  is  practicable, 
all  of  these  interests  can  be  brought  together  in  one 
place.  The  question  whether  a  community  center  shall 
be  the  schoolhouse  or  something  else  or  several  build- 
ings, is  purely  a  practicable  question  for  each  commun- 
ity to  settle.  But  the  fundamental  principle  is  that 
each  of  these  main  interests  of  the  community  shall 
have  an  abiding  place,  and  shall  "  head  up,"  as  it  were, 
in  permanent  headquarters. 


1 82     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


THE    COMMUNITY   GOAL 

Doubtless  the  reader,  considering  the  plan  of  com- 
munity organization  which  has  been  suggested  for  the 
first  time,  will  regard  it  as  altogether  too  ambitious. 
But  it  is  intended  to  serve  as  something  to  look  for- 
ward to  in  those  communities  where  a  simple  method 
of  organization  is  the  only  one  that  is  practicable  for 
the  present.  A  little  study,  however,  of  the  plan  as 
suggested  will  reveal  the  fact  that  the  details  simply 
illustrate  general  principles.  The  great  thing  is  to 
have  a  farming  community  studying  itself,  planning 
ahead,  acting  as  a  unit. 

Each  community  can  tell  best  how  to  do  this.  Each 
community  should  have  an  objective  or  goal  somewhat 
as  follows : 

1.  Geographically,  to  map  out  a  natural  and  con- 
venient area  which  permits  all  the  people  living  within 
its  boundaries  to  get  together  frequently. 

2.  Economically,  a  program  of  the  business  of  the 
community  which  is  best  adapted  to  secure  the  greatest 
efficiency  in  the  use  of  the  land  and  in  methods. 

3.  Socially,  a  group  in  which  the  people  plan  to- 
gether for  self-study,  for  sociable  life,  for  all  forms  of 
improvement. 

4.  Politically,  a  group  who,  while  they  may  not  agree 
on  national  politics,  are  after  all  willing  to  study  and 
discuss  not  only  the  measures  that  interest  them  locally, 
but  the  significant  questions  of  the  day. 

5.  Spiritually,  a  community  or  group  feeling  and 
sentiment,  cherishing  the  ambition  to  have  all  indi- 
viduals and  agencies  seeking  their  own  best  interests 
wholly  in  relation  to  the  interests  of  the  entire  com- 
munity. 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     183 


THE    COMMUNITY    IDEA    IN    PRACTICE 

The  idea  of  local  community  organization  is  not 
merely  a  theory.  There  are  many  instances  running 
all  through  our  agricultural  history  of  entire  communi- 
ties developing  all  their  work  and  life  as  units.  In 
more  recent  years  almost  spontaneously  there  have 
sprung  up  community  breeding  plans,  enterprises,  co- 
operative agencies  on  a  community  basis,  and  very  re- 
cently hundreds  of  community  groups  have  been  or- 
ganized in  many  parts  of  the  country.  Just  at  present, 
the  farm  bureau  movement  Is  urged  as  a  fundamental 
part  of  its  program. 

THE  COMMUNITY  METHOD  OF  ORGANIZATION  AND  WORK 

The  organization  of  an  old,  established  community 
presents  much  greater  difficulties  than  does  a  new  com- 
munity where  the  plan  can  be  formed  and  the  com- 
munity adapted  to  it.  The  possibilities  of  both  these 
methods  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  two  rather 
well  known  examples  —  Hardwick,  Mass.,  and  Dur- 
ham, Cal. 

Hardwick  was  one  of  the  very  early  towns  to  give 
attention  to  organization  and  deserves  notice  because 
it  has  developed  the  plan  further  than  many.  It  is  an 
admirable  instance  of  a  rural  community  which  has  or- 
ganized on  the  lines  laid  down  in  this  book,  and  an  ex- 
perience of  nearly  six  years  has  justified  the  plan:  it  is 
worthy  of  a  much  longer  description  than  can  be 
spared  for  its  effort  in  these  images.  It  is  a  distinctively 
rural  agricultural  town  with  something  over  100  farm- 
ers. It  has,  of  course,  the  advantage  of  good  local 
leaders. 

The  local  organizations  came  together  for  mutual 


i84     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

help  and  planning  through  a  community  council.  A 
definite  long-term  plan  of  development  was  worked  out 
by  the  community.  A  cooperative  association  was  or- 
ganized among  the  farmers  and  has  been  of  great 
value  to  the  town.  The  volume  of  business  done  by 
the  association  increased  from  a  little  less  than  $10,000 
in  1914  to  nearly  $40,000  in  19 17.  An  orchard  prun- 
ing and  spraying  campaign  was  undertaken.  This 
reached  most  of  the  orchards  in  the  town  and  the  result 
was  a  new  and  lasting  interest  in  fruit  growing.  The 
local  demonstration  farm  became  the  center  for  poultry 
breeding  stock,  and  a  community  breed  was  adopted. 
The  dairy  farmers  have  been  interested  in  purebred 
cattle  and  the  number  owned  in  the  town  has  been  in- 
creased many  fold,  most  farms  carrying  the  same 
breed.  Provision  was  made  for  carrying  on  club  work 
among  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  town,  and  canning 
clubs,  home  economics  clubs,  Boy  Scouts  and  Camp- 
Fire  Girls  have  been  organized.  A  landscape  archi- 
tect was  secured  to  work  out  a  plan  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  common,  and  this  plan  is  being  followed 
carefully.  Various  community  celebrations  have  been 
held  and  a  special  community  day  offered  an  oppor- 
tunity for  an  exhibition  of  purebred  dairy  and  poultry 
stock. 

Durham,  Cal.,  is  a  community  built  from  its  incep- 
tion upon  a  definite  plan.  Established  under  Cali- 
fornia's land  settlement  act,  provision  is  made  by  the 
state  for  all  social  and  economic  development  of  the 
community.  Soil  experts  selected  the  location  and  de- 
termined the  most  desirable  size  of  holding.  Archi- 
tects prepared  the  plans  and  specifications  for  suitable 
homes,  and  the  building  projects  were  supervised  by 
the  state,  relieving  the  individual  settlers  of  that  bur- 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY     185 

den.  Irrigation  and  drainage  systems  were  established 
under  the  supervision  of  engineers.  An  agricultural 
superintendent  was  provided  to  whom  the  settlers  bring 
their  farm  problems.  The  lots  are  sold  to  settlers  on 
20  years'  time  and  amortized  payments  at  five  per 
cent,  interest  on  land  and  improvement.  The  state 
also  supplements  the  capital  of  the  settler,  when  neces- 
sary for  the  purchase  of  equipment.  The  state  board 
administering  the  provisions  of  the  land  settlement  act 
selected  the  settlers  with  the  greatest  care,  the  number 
of  applicants  greatly  exceeding  the  number  of  farms. 

Allotments  for  farm  laborers  have  also  been  made, 
suitable  houses  being  planned  with  enough  land  for  a 
garden,  poultry  and  cow  for  each  family.  A  stock, 
breeders'  association  has  been  formed  and  this  requires 
that  the  colony  shall  keep  but  one  breed  of  dairy  cattle, 
one  breed  of  hogs  and  two  breeds  of  sheep.  Only 
purebred  sires  are  to  be  used  and  these  must  be  ap- 
proved by  the  association. 

A  sufficient  tract  of  land  has  been  reserved  for  a 
community  center  for  educational  and  recreational  pur- 
poses. A  movement  already  on  foot  looks  to  the  es- 
tablishment here  of  a  vocational  training  school  in  agri- 
culture. 

The  success  of  this  method  of  organization  seems 
assured.  Within  less  than  a  year  after  the  holdings 
were  offered  for  settlement  100  families  were  settled 
on  the  land  and  not  one  had  failed  to  make  payments 
to  the  state  when  due. 

THE    COMMUNITY    IDEA    AND    RURAL    AGENCIES 

One  of  the  profoundest  results  of  applying  the  com- 
munity idea  to  local  farm  areas  is  the  effect  upon  the 
local  institutions,  the  school,  the  church,  the  Grange, 


i86     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

even  the  home.  To  discuss  these  important  matters 
thoroughly  would  require  a  book  by  itself;  but  a  few 
suggestions  may  be  made  that  indicate  the  extreme  im- 
portance of  the  effort  to  inspire  local  institutions  to 
become  community  building  rather  than  self-serving 
agencies. 

The  Rural  Home  and  the  Community.  At  first 
thought,  it  may  seem  as  if  the  home,  the  most  im- 
portant of  our  social  institutions  just  because  of  its 
private  and  sacred  character,  might  not  fit  into  the 
community  idea.  But  the  home  is  the  very  fundamen- 
tal of  the  community  spirit.  It  is  the  basis  for  real 
culture  for  both  children  and  parents.  It  may  train 
its  members  into  the  cooperative  idea  and  help  them  ac- 
quire the  habit  of  community  service.  It  can  cooper- 
ate with  school,  church  and  playlife.  The  home  maker 
is  not  only  the  mistress  of  the  home,  but  she  partici- 
pates vitally  in  community  building.  Her  influence  in 
all  community  activities  is  pervasive  and  all  important. 
Shall  the  home  look  outward  to  the  community  or  only 
inward  to  its  own  limited  interests?  Shall  the  home 
be  counted  upon  to  foster  the  community  spirit  and 
practice  community  service? 

The  School  and  the  Rural  Community.  The  school 
in  the  United  States  has  always  been  a  community  affair 
in  a  certain  sense  since  it  is  a  public  school.  It  is  doubt- 
ful, however,  if  in  actual  achievement  it  has  measured 
up  to  the  community  idea.  The  teaching  in  the  school 
tends  to  be  indi\idual  rather  than  social.  It  is  thought 
of  as  fitting  each  particular  child  to  make  his  way  in 
the  world.  A  true  ideal  for  the  school  is  that  it  shall 
be,  as  a  school,  a  means  of  contributing  to  the  highest 
development  and  best  welfare  of  the  community  in 
which    it    is    located.      How    can    this   be    done?     We 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY      187 

must  develop  a  real  purpose,  first  of  all,  to  make  the 
school  a  community  building  institution.  Each  school 
in  itself  should  be  a  sort  of  community.  The  school- 
house  may  be  the  center  of  many  community  enter- 
prises and  interests.  Wherever  possible,  it  will  be- 
come a  community  meeting  place,  a  community  forum, 
the  entertainment  center,  but  more  than  all,  it  is  the 
educational  agency  of  the  entire  community,  not  only 
for  the  children  but  for  adults  as  well.  We  should 
cease  to  think  of  the  school  as  merely  a  place  for  train- 
ing children.  In  a  democracy,  the  people  of  the  com- 
munity should  always  be  in  the  process  of  being  edu- 
cated. The  public  school  can  be  almost  as  useful  to 
adults  as  to  children.  In  this  way,  it  becomes  a  great 
community  serving  institution. 

The  Farmers'  Association.  Some  years  ago  in 
Massachusetts,  the  State  Grange  adopted  the  slogan 
that  each  subordinate  Grange  should  try  to  be  a  com- 
munity building  organization.  That  is,  it  was  not  to 
think  of  itself  merely  as  seeking  the  interests  of  its 
members  alone,  but  was  to  utilize  the  power  of  asso- 
ciated effort  that  arises  through  the  Grange  for  the 
benefit  of  the  entire  community.  This  sound  prin- 
ciple applies  to  all  voluntary  associations.  It  is  legit- 
imate for  groups  of  people  to  band  themselves  to- 
gether to  advance  their  interests,  but  more  and  more 
the  obligation  comes  to  them  to  use  these  agencies  for 
the  benefit  of  all  within  their  reach. 

A  Coynmiinity  Serving  Church.  The  country  church 
should  point  the  way  toward  the  application  of  a  re- 
ligious motive,  both  to  character  building  and  to  com- 
munity building.  It  should  explain  how  the  Kingdom 
of  God  may  come  within  and  without.  It  should  make 
clear  the  principle  that  the  Kingdom  never  will  come 


i88     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

to  the  individual  except  through  his  work  and  his  re- 
lations. It  can  come  only  in  communities.  Commun- 
ity building  then  becomes  the  prime  task  of  the  country 
church;  through  preaching  and  worship;  through  the 
presence  of  a  resident  pastor  who  regards  himself  as 
a  community  builder;  the  developing  of  many  com- 
munity activities;  the  practice  as  well  as  the  preaching 
of  true  democracy,  the  church  will  become  a  vital  fac- 
tor in  the  community. 

Local  Rural  Government.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
local  government  should  be  honest;  it  must  also  be  ef- 
ficient. In  dealing  with  public  health,  protection  of 
life  and  property,  community  conveniences  and  all  edu- 
cational work,  the  local  government  already  finds  its 
field.  But  is  it  not  possible  to  enlarge  the  function 
of  the  local  government?  As  the  country  community 
comes  to  need  water,  sewerage  systems  and  so  on,  shall 
not  public  utilities  be  under  public  control  in  the  coun- 
try as  well  as  in  the  city?  Why  should  not  the  county, 
for  example,  own  and  control  a  slaughter  house,  a 
cold  storage,  a  system  of  elevators?  In  many  counties 
the  town  or  township  is  required  to  appropriate  public 
money  for  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  region  in- 
stead of  relying  wholly  upon  the  state  or  the  nation  or 
even  the  county  as  a  whole. 

WHY    SO    MUCH    EMPHASIS    UPON    THE    ORGANIZATIONT 
OF    THE    LOCAL    COMMUNITY? 

In  this  book,  two  chapters  are  devoted  to  this  one 
idea.      Why  so  much  talk  about  it?      Let  us  summarize. 

I.  To  secure  full  efficiency  in  rural  affairs,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  have  relatively  small  groups  or  units.  There 
is  no  business,  no  government,  no  army,  no  organized 
activities  of  any  kind  but  finds  this  essential.      It  has 


ORGANIZING  THE  COMMUNITY      189 

already  been  stated  but  cannot  too  often  be  repeated 
that  even  in  agriculture  the  necessity  of  this  relatively 
small  grouping  has  been  proved  over  and  over  again. 
It  is  the  local  church,  the  local  school,  the  local  Grange 
or  Union  or  farmers'  club  that  gets  results.  It  Is  im- 
possible for  a  single  farmer  to  cooperate  with  seven 
milHon  other  farmers.  If  he  cooperates  at  all,  he  must 
cooperate  with  at  most  a  few  hundred,  in  nearly  all  of 
the  effective  acts  of  his  life.  The  nation,  the  state, 
even  the  county,  are  too  big  for  effective  cooperation. 
So  somewhere,  in  some  way,  we  must  bring  together 
a  few  hundred  farmers,  and  from  these  form  what  we 
are  calling  the  local  farming  community.  Whether 
there  shall  be  100  farmers  or  1,000  farmers  depends 
upon  conditions.  But  there  must  be  enough  of  them 
so  that  they  can  work  together  through  institutions 
which  they  can  maintain  effectively,  and  not  so  many 
of  them  that  they  cannot  work  together  as  one  man. 

2.  The  local  community  fully  organized  deals  with 
all  parts  of  the  farm  problem.  Consequently,  it  is 
"  agriculture  in  the  small."  The  interests  of  the  local 
community  are  identical  with  the  interests  of  all  the 
farmers  of  the  nation  or  of  the  world,  but  on  a  scale 
so  small  that  they  can  be  dealt  with. 

3.  Acquaintance,  friendship,  cooperation,  frequent 
meetings  are  essential  if  people  are  to  work  together 
for  any  length  of  time  in  any  efficient  way.  Now  these 
things  are  possible  only  in  relatively  small  groups,  and 
when  the  small  group  is  acquainted,  friendly,  coopera- 
tive, meeting  together,  you  have  a  communitv. 

4.  If  efficiency  in  agriculture  and  country  life  cannot 
be  realized  in  these  ways,  it  cannot  be  realized  at  all. 
That  is  to  say,  if  the  great  majority  of  perhaps  ^0,000 
farming   groups    or    local    communities    are    not   pro- 


I90     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ducing  effectively,  or  managing  their  farms  well,  or 
making  a  profit,  then  American  agriculture  is  not  suc- 
cessful. The  mere  fact  that  certain  farmers  here  and 
there  accomplish  these  things  does  not  make  a  pros- 
perous agriculture. 

5.  And  finally,  if  we  are  to  secure  a  complete  democ- 
racy among  farmers,  political,  industrial  and  social, 
we  shall  get  it  only  as  we  make  it  and  keep  it  in  the  local 
community.  If  the  local  communities  are  not  demo- 
cratic, the  farmers  as  a  whole  will  not  be  democratic. 

And  so  we  emphasize  the  organizing  these  thousands 
of  real  farm  communities  as  perhaps  the  crowning  need 
of  the  farmer  in  the  New  Day. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  STATESMANSHIP  OF  RURAL  AFFAIRS 

SOME    WAR-TIME    LESSONS    FOR    AMERICA 

America's  participation  in  the  war  has  revealed  cer- 
tain weaknesses  in  the  organization  of  American  agri- 
culture. No  national  agricultural  program  existed  at 
the  time  war  was  declared,  and  has  been  but  partially 
developed  during  the  war.  We  have  stood  in  need 
of  a  mobilization  of  agriculture  somewhat  akin  to  the 
mobilization  of  an  army.  We  have  needed  an  agricul- 
tural general  staff.  Nor  has  there  been  a  real  coor- 
dination of  the  interests  of  producers  and  consumers 
in  the  big  problem  of  food  supply.  The  farmers 
themselves  have  responded  magnificently  to  the  appeals 
to  grow  more  food,  and  the  machinery  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  of  the  colleges  of  agriculture,  and 
of  the  farm  bureaus  has  been  unceasingly  devoted  to 
helping  the  farmers.  There  has  been  criticism  of  the 
federal  Food  Administration,  but  also  a  growing  be- 
lief that  it  has  been  governed  by  wise  statesmanship,  a 
rare  foresight,  and  motived  by  high  aims.  But  we  have 
not  yet  gained  out  of  the  war  that  close,  definite,  In- 
telligent, well-understood  coordination  in  the  whole 
problem  of  food  supply  that  we  ought  to  have.  We 
find  that  we  have  no  agricultural  policy  maker.  Con- 
gressmen have  repeatedly  said,  "  How  do  we  know 
who  expresses  the  real  agricultural  thought  and  inter- 
est? "     The  farmer's  vacant  chair  in  national  and  In- 

igi 


192     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ternational  councils  has  been  all  too  obvious.  Much 
new  social  machinery  has  been  built  and  utilized  for 
emergency  agricultural  production  and  distribution  and 
for  propaganda  in  rural  districts.  Some  of  it  might 
well  be  saved  for  future  use.  There  has  been  as  yet 
no  authoritative  cooperation  with  European  agricul- 
tural leaders  on  the  larger  policies,  nor  any  repre- 
sentative body  studying  agricultural  reconstruction  at 
home. 

THE    GOVERNMENT    AND   RURAL    PROGRESS 

The  province  of  government  in  the  New  Day  will 
soon  be  a  burning  issue  in  America.  Shall  or  shall  not 
the  government  manage  the  railways,  the  telegraph 
lines,  grain  elevators,  packing  houses?  Shall  the  gov- 
ernment fix  prices,  or  assist  in  land  settlement,  or  pro- 
vide agricultural  credit?  Shall  the  government  do 
more  or  do  less  than  it  is  now  doing  for  agriculture? 
While  these  questions  are  supremely  important  to  the 
farmer  in  this  new  time,  our  discussion  of  them  herein 
must  be  exceedingly  brief  and  in  the  form  of  a  few 
mere  suggestions. 

Legislation  and  the  Farmer.  As  a  rule,  legislation 
is  haphazard.  It  often  results  from  the  individual  no- 
tions of  some  legislator  or  possibly  grows  out  of  the 
prejudices  of  a  group  of  legislators.  More  often  it  is 
just  sheer  compromise  between  the  radicals  and  the 
conservatives.  W^hile  a  compromise  is  a  very  practical 
sort  of  affair,  it  is  not  always  wise.  Perhaps  some  of 
the  inequities  and  inadequacies  of  legislation  in  rural  af- 
fairs could  be  remedied  through  the  existence  of  a 
strong  national  association  for  agricultural  legislation. 
We  already  have  the  bepfinnings  of  such  an  agency. 
Properly  developed,  this  will  be  composed  of  both  spe- 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  193 

cial  students  of  economic  and  political  affairs  as  related 
to  rural  matters  and  able,  broad-minded,  representative 
farmers.  Such  an  association  is  intended  not  so  much 
for  propaganda  purposes  as  for  sober,  hard  thinking 
about  fundamentals.  Its  written  expressions  ought  to 
be  worth  while,  possibly  even  authoritative.  They  will 
not  be  infallible  but  they  should  secure  the  attention  of 
the  great  farmers'  organizations  as  well  as  legislatures 
and  Congress.  Another  helpful  agency  would  be  na- 
tional and  state  councils  of  agriculture  and  country  life, 
which  would  gather  around  a  conference  board  the 
representative  leaders  of  all  the  different  institutions 
interested  in  rural  affairs  in  order  to  reach  some  agree- 
ment as  to  what  is  wise  and  best.  No  doubt  the  growth 
of  a  powerful  farmers'  organization  which  definitely 
represents  the  voting  farmers  would  have  the  backing 
that  is  absolutely  necessary  in  political  propaganda. 
But  this  powerful  farmers'  organization  should  not 
make  its  demands  simply  because  it  is  powerful,  but 
because  its  demands  are  just  and  wise.  There  is  need 
that  this  entire  field  of  agricultural  legislation  should 
receive  the  best  thought  of  our  best  minds. 

A  Governmental  Rural  Policy.  In  an  earlier  part 
of  this  book,  it  was  stated  that  a  policy  may  be  simply 
that  which  actually  happens  through  a  series  of  years, 
but  that  a  policy  for  the  New  Day,  a  real  policy,  im- 
plies adequate  knowledge,  definite  plans,  correlation  of 
effort.  So  in  our  governmental  affairs,  whatever  is 
done  or  advocated  by  departments,  boards  or  bureaus, 
should  be  the  result  of  a  well-founded  and  well- 
rounded  policy.  Probably  there  is  in  these  agencies 
no  lack  of  definite  knowledge,  and  it  should  be  easy 
for  them  to  make  plans.  But  it  is  more  difficult  to 
secure  their  cooperation.     Within  the  state,  for  exam- 


194     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

pie,  how  may  we  adjust  the  administrative  functions  of 
a  department  of  agriculture  and  the  educational  func- 
tions of  a  college  of  agriculture?  We  find  in  Wash- 
ington half  a  dozen  or  more  bureaus  or  boards  dealing 
with  matters  of  agricultural  education.  If  these  can- 
not be  consolidated,  at  least  they  ought  to  be  forced  to 
cooperate  intimately  and  freely  and  unreservedly. 
Perhaps  an  agricultural  development  committee  in  each 
state  and  in  Washington  might  be  a  means  of  grace  in 
this  connection.  The  British  Agricultural  Develop- 
ment Committee  is  virtually  an  advisory  committee  to 
Parliament.  It  has  no  direct  authority,  but  its  recom- 
mendations as  to  appropriations  and  as  to  the  work  of 
the  different  governmental  agencies,  both  national  and 
local,  carry  far  in  Parliament.  Some  such  group  au- 
thorized by  law,  and  composed  of  representatives  of 
the  public  agencies  involved,  with  additional  members 
appointed  by  the  President  and  in  the  state  by  gov- 
ernors, might  be  able  to  secure  the  necessary  coopera- 
tion, of  governmental  agencies.  The  war  has  im- 
mensely increased  here  in  America  the  ambitions  and 
activities  of  various  governmental  agencies.  It  is  not 
too  strong  a  statement  to  say  that  we  are  on  the  verge 
of  chaos  with  reference  to  the  inter-relationships  of 
public  boards,  departments  and  bureaus.  It  is  a  seri- 
ous situation  and  there  is  only  one  way  out.  There 
must  be  cooperation,  if  not  voluntary,  then  compulsory. 
Information.  Whatever  our  conclusions  as  to  the 
place  of  the  government  dealing  with  agricultural  mat- 
ters, there  is  clearly  one  task  that  it  can  perform  better 
than  any  other  agency  and  which  is  evidently  its  duty. 
That  is  the  task  of  discovering  and  disseminating  in- 
formation. This  function  embraces  the  necessity  for 
accurate  investigations,  for  wise  and  clear  interpreta- 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  195 

tion  of  these  investigations,  for  well  planned  and  nu- 
merous demonstrations  of  the  applicability  of  the  prin- 
ciples worked  out  as  the  result  of  investigation,  and  for 
widespread  publicity  that  will  reach  the  masses  of  farm- 
ers with  understandable  expert  advice.  Government, 
both  state  and  national,  should  gather  and  distribute 
the  fullest  possible  information  on  all  of  the  different 
aspects  of  the  rural  problem.  Its  duty  does  not  stop 
with  information  about  production,  but  includes  the 
field  of  distribution  of  farm  products  and  the  welfare 
or  country  life  phase  of  the  farmers'  interests.  This 
information  should  not  only  be  made  available  to  all 
the  farmers,  but  they  must  be  all  but  compelled  to 
listen  if  they  are  unresponsive. 

The  government  should  keep  a  large  staff  of  experts 
in  all  foreign  countries  gleaning  every  shred  of  infor- 
mation possible  about  food  needs,  agricultural  methods, 
agricultural  legislation,  rural  organization,  country  life 
endeavor.  We  are  sometimes  led  to  think  by  the  vastly 
enlarging  appropriations  granted  to  our  federal  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  and  its  manifold  and  increas- 
ing activities,  that  we  are  taking  care  of  this  phase  of 
governmental  activity  in  thorough  fashion.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  the  present  agencies  are  inadequate.  For 
one  thing,  they  are  provincial,  dealing  with  too  narrow 
areas  of  interest;  they  should  scour  the  world.  They 
are  too  narrow  in  their  scope;  only  within  a  few  years 
have  we  even  touched  the  field  of  distribution,  and  coun- 
try life  interests  have  received  slight  consideration. 
Moreover,  in  spite  of  our  farm  bureaus  and  extension 
services,  we  still  fail  to  reach  a  large  majority  of  the 
working  farmers  with  all  the  information  that  they 
need  regarding  the  world's  need  for  food  and  the 
world's  supply  of  food.     We  have  made  a  good  deal 


196     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

of  progress,  especially  since  the  war  opened  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  matter  of  market  information,  the  range 
of  prices,  etc.  But  we  need  at  once  closer  cooperation 
between  the  federal  Bureau  of  Markets,  the  research 
and  extension  divisions  of  the  agricultural  colleges  in 
the  field  of  marketing,  and  the  state  market  bureaus, 
which  are  administrative  and  not  educational.  We 
must  know  what  is  happening  in  the  agricultural  world, 
and  how  it  affects  America. 

Relationships.  The  federal  government  Is  the  only 
agency  that  can  properly  determine  and  adjust  inter- 
state and  international  relationships  In  rural  affairs. 
We  must  rely  upon  it  to  find  the  proper  place  for  agri- 
culture In  our  foreign  trade.  In  cooperation  with  the 
great  associations  of  producers,  It  must  work  out  such 
zones  of  production  as  may  be  feasible. 

Cooperation  with  Voluntary  Agencies.  This  is  one 
of  the  great  needs  of  the  New  Day,  We  have  a  right 
to  expect  that  the  government,  through  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  will  take  the  initiative  In  getting  into 
close  touch  with  the  various  agricultural  agencies  and 
associations.  Unfortunately,  these  agencies  do  not  al- 
ways respond  In  the  spirit  of  cooperation.  Sometimes 
there  may  be  fear  on  the  part  of  the  government 
officials  that  If  they  call  into  conference  representatives 
of  farmers,  demands  will  be  made  which  will  limit  the 
freedom  of  action  of  the  officials.  But  It  should  not  be 
difficult  to  avoid  this,  If  both  the  government  ofiicials 
and  the  representatives  of  the  farmers  once  become  im- 
pressed with  the  need  of  common  counsel  and  planning. 

Government  Ownership  or  Control.  The  farmers 
were  the  originators  of  the  demand  for  governmental 
regulation  of  rallwavs,  and  we  have  long  since  passed 
the  stage  of  Irresponsible  railroad  management.     Gov- 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  197 

ernment  ownership  of  railways  is  clearly  to  be  one  of 
the  great  political  questions  of  the  period  after  the  war. 
The  issues  ought  to  be  clarified  now  so  far  as  the  farm- 
ers are  concerned.  The  question  is  not  wholly  that  of 
abolishing  the  evils  of  exploitation  through  private 
management,  nor  the  advantages  of  unification  that  re- 
sult from  government  control.  The  main  issues  in  the 
immediate  relation  between  railways  and  agriculture  is 
largely  one  of  adjusting  rates  on  a  basis  that  will  give 
the  largest  measure  of  justice  to  competing  areas  or 
regions  of  production.  This  is  a  most  complex  and 
difficult  task.  It  affects  consumers  as  well  as  growers. 
Por  example,  the  splendid  railway  refrigerator  system, 
the  fast  freights  and  so  on,  have  brought  the  perish- 
able fruits  and  vegetables  of  the  West  to  the  eastern 
markets.  This  has  been  a  great  advantage  to  the  west- 
ern producers  and  possibly  to  the  eastern  consumers, 
but  it  has  undermined  eastern  agriculture  of  a  certain 
type.  This  instance  is  typical  of  an  innumerable  list 
of  cases  where  transportation,  like  many  other  improve- 
ments, disturbs  production.  These  changes  are  inevit- 
able. But  if  they  reduce  the  profits  of  large  numbers 
of  farmers,  protests  will  be  strong  and  frequent,  par- 
ticularly if  government  is  responsible  for  the  conditions 
to  which  the  injured  farmers  object. 

It  is  improbable  that  in  the  near  future  there  will 
be  in  America  a  serious  dema.id  for  the  nationalization 
of  the  agricultural  land.  But  there  are  many  evidences 
that  we  are  already  on  the  verge  of  a  growing  demand 
that  the  government  shall  take  charge  of  the  task  of 
providing  land  for  tenants  and  young  farmers  on  better 
terms  than  they  can  secure  at  present.  The  mcreasing 
extent  to  which  farm  lands  are  passing  into  the  hands 
of  capitalists,  either  the  capitalist  farmer  or  the  cap- 


198     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

italist  banker  or  merchant,  is  creating  a  strong  pres- 
sure for  governmental  action  of  some  sort. 

Theoretically,  the  ideal  marketing  machinery  for 
farm  products  would  consist  of  a  thoroughly  organized 
group  of  agricultural  producers,  dealing  with  equally 
well-organized  groups  or  communities  of  consumers, 
with  only  such  intermediaries,  and  these  also  presum- 
ably well  organized,  as  are  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
most  effective  handling  of  the  product  from  grower  to 
consumer.  Through  storages  owned  in  part  by  pro- 
ducer and  in  part  by  consumers,  and  with  large  collec- 
tion units  or  centers  managed  by  producers'  associa- 
tions, and  large  distributing  centers  or  units  managed  by 
consumers'  agencies,  a  large  part  of  the  present  machin- 
ery of  the  middlemen  would  be  displaced.  Public 
markets  would  be  a  factor  in  the  plan.  Then  with  the 
government  owning  or  controlling  the  means  of  trans- 
portation, we  would  have  a  thoroughly  democratic  and 
effective  scheme  of  distribution  of  food  products. 

Practically  we  are  a  long  distance  from  the  realiza- 
tion of  such  a  well-balanced  scheme,  but  government 
may  at  least  encourage  and  aid  the  organization  of  both 
producers  and  consumers,  and  through  its  police  power 
abolish  the  more  flagrant  abuses  that  arise  in  the  pres- 
ent distributing  process.  Much  will  be  gained  by  a 
more  complete  system  of  information,  gathered  and 
disseminated  by  government,  relative  to  food  needs, 
food  supplies,  food  prices,  food  movements.  Fortu- 
nately, a  good  beginning  has  been  made  in  this  field. 
Publicly  owned  elevators,  abattoirs,  storages  and  ware- 
houses we  may  be  obliged  to  have  if  private  interests 
do  not  bend  to  reasonable  demands  from  the  farmers 
for  fair  dealing. 

As  a  general  principle,  we  should  accept  the  idea  that 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  199 

the  best  service  of  the  government  to  the  farmer  is  to 
help  him  to  help  himself,  or  rather  to  help  the  farmers 
to  help  themselves  through  cooperative  methods;  and 
to  refrain  from  all  activities  that  can  be  done  well  by 
individuals  or  by  voluntary  organizations.  Govern- 
ment regulation  has  become  an  absolute  necessity;  there 
is  no  question  about  that  principle.  With  respect  to 
government  management  or  even  government  owner- 
ship, we  ought  to  be  in  the  mood  to  have  it  wherever 
it  has  become  clear  that  voluntary  organizations  of 
producers  and  consumers  on  the  one  hand,  and  state 
and  federal  regulatory  laws  on  the  other  hand,  are 
still  ineffective  to  get  substantial  justice  for  the  great 
masses  of  producers  and  consumers. 

Federal  Appropriations.  The  federal  government 
has  been  quite  generous  to  agriculture.  But  there  will 
be  new  and  extensive  calls  for  federal  money  for  many 
purposes  connected  with  agricultural  improvement. 
There  may  be,  however,  a  growing  resentment  at  too 
detailed  control  of  such  funds  from  the  federal  treas- 
ury as  are  appropriated  and  used  in  the  states  by  fed- 
eral authority.  There  is  a  widespread  feeling  that  the 
federal  government  should  appropriate  money  for  cer- 
tain state  purposes,  and  let  the  states  handle  it  as  they 
like.  The  tendency  of  Congress  is  to  insist  that  the 
federal  appropriation  shall  be  supplemented  by  state 
and  local  appropriations,  the  work  to  be  planned  jointly 
and  executed  locally,  but  with  close  supervision  by  the 
federal  government,  and  with  the  latter  holding  veto 
power  over  expenditures.  There  are  those,  too,  who 
are  strongly  opposed  to  federal  appropriations  for  agri- 
cultural purposes  on  the  ground  that  each  state  knows 
best  its  own  needs,  and  has  an  obligation  to  take  care  of 
its  own  problems;  and  also  because  of  an  earnest  con- 


200     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

viction  against  the  policy  of  centralized  control  of  local 
enterprises  by  the  federal  government. 

On  the  whole,  it  is  advantageous  to  have  federal 
appropriations  for  the  larger  interests  of  agriculture, 
provided  these  appropriations  are  supplemented  by 
state  appropriations.  A  federal  law  of  this  character 
at  once  tends  to  nationalize  and  broaden  all  good  move- 
ments. Agriculture  and  country  life  are  national,  not 
state,  concerns;  it  does  make  a  difference  to  the  whole 
country  if  one  single  state  has  neglected,  for  example, 
the  development  of  an  adequate  system  of  agricultural 
education  A  measure  of  control  should  follow  every 
public  appropriation;  consequently,  a  degree  of  federal 
control  should  follow  all  federal  appropriations.  The 
real  difficulty  comes  in  deciding  upon  the  extent  of  con- 
trol. The  federal  government  should  determine 
through  the  law  itself  what  are  the  main  large  ends  or 
objects  to  be  pursued  with  the  money  thus  appropriated, 
and  should  require  of  the  states  plans  or  projects  which 
appear  to  be  promising  and  effective  in  reaching  these 
ends.  There  should  be  detailed  accounting  for  the  use 
of  the  money,  and  a  day  of  judgment  at  least  once  a 
year  in  which  the  projects  are  checked  up  to  determine 
whether  the  money  has  been  used  for  the  right  pur- 
poses and  in  a  reasonably  effective  way.  The  contin- 
uance of  federal  appropriations  should  depend  upon 
the  proper  use  of  federal  money.  Beyond  this  federal 
control  should  not  go.  The  moment  it  attempts  to  de- 
cide details,  to  determine  personnel,  to  pass  judgment 
on  local  needs  and  particularly  when  it  attempts  to  se- 
cure uniformity  of  method  and  standardization  of  pro- 
jects throuf':hout  the  country,  it  is  in  danger  of  becoming 
bureaucratic,  ineffective,  and  wasteful. 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  201 


SOME    LIMITATIONS    TO    GOVERNMENTAL    EFFICIENCY 

Laws  in  themselves  carry  limitations.  It  is  rare  that 
a  law  meets  all  situations  adequately.  Moreover,  un- 
der the  law  there  arises  an  increasing  necessity  for  ad- 
ministrative rule  which,  while  only  purporting  to  be  an 
interpretation  of  the  law,  has  all  the  force  of  law. 
The  great  difficulty  with  these  laws  and  rules  is  that 
they  are  so  iron  clad;  if  their  wisdom  is  questioned, 
there  is  slight  redress.  What  is  best  and  wisest  and 
most  effective  may  be  buried  in  the  reiterated  answer  of 
the  official,  "  This  is  the  law."  One  of  the  penalties  we 
pay  for  the  reign  of  law,  which  of  course  is  the  bedrock 
of  civilization,  is  the  temptation  on  the  part  of  admin- 
istrators of  the  law  to  become  tithers  of  mint  and  anise 
and  cummin. 

In  all  government  affairs,  there  is  a  growing  necessity 
for  order  and  system;  so  we  develop  formal  written 
projects  and  memoranda.  They  are  valuable,  prob- 
ably indispensable.  But  their  use  tends  to  the  emphasis 
upon  a  paper  plan  rather  than  upon  the  significance  of 
the  results  to  be  achieved  by  the  plan.  The  considera- 
tion of  these  documents  consumes  time  and  energy  and 
often  causes  serious  delays.  As  these  things  increase, 
greater  becomes  the  lack  of  personal  responsibility  and 
personal  judgment,  and  more  and  more  decisions  are 
made  on  the  basis  of  precedent  and  rule  and  form 
rather  than  on  actual  needs.  The  administration  be- 
comes rigid  rather  than  plastic  and  practical.  Govern- 
ment officials  find  themselves  under  the  almost  irresist- 
ible necessity  of  forming  judgments  in  the  office  rather 
than  in  the  field.  In  a  great  organization,  it  is  not  easy 
to  secure  the  best  man  for  the  most  important  adminis- 
trative positions  and  it  is  difficult  to  get  rid  of  incom- 


202     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

petents.  Officials  tend  to  become  conservative,  cau- 
tious rather  than  original  and  aggressive.  There 
seems  to  be  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  government 
officiuls  to  resent  suggestions  from  outside.  To  be 
sure,  they  are  the  targets  for  all  sorts  of  foolish  sug- 
gestions and  unfortunately,  almost  unconsciously  per- 
haps, they  form  the  attitude  of  thinking  of  the  outsider 
who  makes  suggestions  as  an  interloper.  In  the  same 
way,  governmental  bureaus  more  and  more  seem  to 
desire  to  do  their  work  without  reference  to  other 
agencies.  Some  of  the  younger  men  engaged  in  our 
great  system  of  agricultural  education  hardly  know  that 
the  great  farmers'  organizations  exist  and  often  fail  to 
understand  the  fundamental  need  of  preserving  the  in- 
itiative and  the  cooperative  power  of  the  farmers  them- 
selves. The  general  policy  of  the  government  bureau 
is  more  or  less  subject  to  the  limitations  of  the  chief 
officials  who  change  from  time  to  time;  generally  speak- 
ing the  responsible  administrator  tends  to  be  cautious 
rather  than  a  leader. 

THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    AGRICULTURE    AND   THE    AGRI- 
CULTURAL   PROGRAM 

A  recent  letter  from  one  of  the  ablest  of  our  agricul- 
tural leaders  stated  a  strong  conviction  that  no  question 
should  be  raised  concerning  the  right  and  duty  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  to  outline  an 
agricultural  policy  and  to  make  our  agricultural  pro- 
gram. There  is  no  doubt  but  the  farmers  themselves 
have  always  looked  to  the  department  for  leadership. 
The  creation  of  the  department  as  a  cabinet  position 
was  due  very  largely  to  the  efforts  of  the  farmers'  or- 
ganizations, led  by  the  Grange.  In  the  earlier  days,  it 
was  expected  that  the  Secretary  would  be   a   farmer. 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  203 

The  farmers  wished  to  see  themselves  represented  at 
the  nation's  council-table  by  one  of  their  own  kind. 
They  wished  to  feel  that  they  had  a  part  in  shaping 
policies.  They  delighted  in  the  sense  of  partnership 
with  the  government.  They  expected  that  the  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture  would  in  a  measure  become  the 
farmers'  spokesman  to  the  President,  to  Congress,  to 
the  nation  and  to  the  world.  There  are  many  students 
of  rural  affairs  who  believe  that  the  department  should 
be  the  unquestioned  agency  to  organize  policies,  map 
out  programs,  lead  the  force  of  agricultural  improve- 
ment. Among  the  officials  of  the  department,  there  is 
probably  very  strong  conviction  concerning  the  primacy 
of  the  department  as  leader.  But  there  are  considera- 
tions of  caution. 

There  are  the  administrative  limitations  already 
mentioned ;  —  those  that  belong  to  government  as  such ; 
they  are  a  menace  to  originality,  reform,  agitation, 
even  to  statesmanship.  In  spite  of  all  the  good  inten- 
tions of  public  officials  there  will  always  be  a  tendency 
to  get  away  from  the  working  farmer. 

There  are  functional  limitations  —  some  things  that 
we  do  not  want  government  to  do.  American  country 
life,  for  example,  can  never  be  all  it  ought  to  be  apart 
from  a  virile  religious  life.  Obviously  the  government 
cannot  manage  the  church.  Government  cannot  buy 
the  farmers'  supplies  for  him  nor  sell  his  crops  for  him; 
no  one  expects  the  farmer  to  surrender  his  business  in- 
itiative to  the  government. 

The  farmer  can  be  truly  represented  only  by  the 
farmer.  The  public  official  may  be  a  wise  guide  and 
counselor,  and  if  so  his  word  ought  to  be  listened  to  and 
heeded;  but  no  public  official,  not  even  an  agricultural 
college  president,  has  the  power  to  speak  in  the  same 


204     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

fashion  about  the  needs  and  wants  and  demands  of  the 
farmers  as  has  the  working  farmer  or  the  official  desig- 
nated by  the  farmers'  organization  to  speak  for  it. 
The  official  may  appreciate  the  farmers'  attitude,  and 
he  should  have  the  courage  to  tell  the  farmers  at  times 
that  they  are  wrong  in  their  attitudes.  But  no  govern- 
ment department  can  exercise  complete  leadership  in 
agriculture  for  the  reason  that  they  are  not  of  and  by 
the  farmers. 

Political  action  lies  outside  the  jurisdiction  of  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  and  of  the  colleges  of  agricul- 
ture; yet  there  can  be  no  adequate  agricultural  leader- 
ship that  does  not  have  in  it  the  possibilities  and  the 
power  of  political  action.  If  we  are  to  have  a  democ- 
racy, the  agricultural  part  of  it  must  not  be  voiceless  or 
dependent  upon  any  government  agency  for  expression 
of  its  political  power.  At  times  it  may  be  necessary 
for  the  farmers  to  exercise  their  political  power  in  op- 
position to  the  government  agency. 

Although  urging  the  enlargement  of  the  activities  of 
the  government  as  a  source  of  information  to  farmers, 
it  is  realized  that  over-much  dependence  upon  the  gov- 
ernment may  check  individual  and  community  initiative, 
and  prevent  what  after  all  is  the  great  aim  in  govern- 
mental activity,  to  help  the  individual  and  his  local 
group  to  help  themselves.  European  states  with  the 
most  efficient  agriculture  do  not  depend  upon  the  gov- 
ernment nearly  so  much  as  they  do  upon  voluntary  or- 
ganization. The  government  is  the  only  agency  to  de- 
velop systems  of  agricultural  education  and  regulation. 
Governmental  authority  is  indispensable.  But  it  will 
be  most  unfortunate  if  the  American  farmers  fail  to 
organize  themselves  in  the  community  and  in  the  state 
and  in  the  nation;  it  will  be  deplorable  if  they  become 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  205 

completely  dependent  upon  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  for  initiative  and  leadership  and 
statesmanship. 

Is  not  this  unduly  minimizing  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ment? No;  it  is  merely  indicating  its  limitations  as  the 
one  source  of  agricultural  leadership.  The  depart- 
ment in  the  New  Day  should: 

Keep  abreast,  even  in  advance,  of  the  most  progres- 
sive thought  of  the  world  concerning  absolutely  all  as- 
pects of  the  problem  of  agriculture  and  country  life  and 
how  the  problem  may  be  met. 

Frame  a  clear-cut,  statesmanlike  policy  and  a  very 
definite  progressive  program  for  its  own  activities. 

Assist  in  securing  complete  coordination  with  other 
publicly  supported  agencies,  national,  state,  and  local. 

Maintain  the  fullest  and  freest  cooperative  relations 
with  voluntary  associations  of  farmers,  especially  with 
the  great  national  organizations  of  agriculture  and 
country  life. 

THE    LEADERSHIP    OF    ORGANIZED    FARMERS 

It  is  difficult  to  discuss  this  question  of  agricultural 
leadership  without  seeming  to  criticize  governmental 
agencies  and  to  show  lack  of  faith  in  the  wisdom  of  or- 
ganized agriculture,  and  it  is  hoped  that  nothing  that 
has  thus  far  been  said  will  be  construed  as  criticism. 
It  is  simply  a  point  of  view  based  on  the  earnest  con- 
viction that  the  farmers  of  a  free  country  must  not  be- 
come dependent  upon  government.  So  we  look  for  the 
farmers  of  the  New  Day  to  get  together,  to  unify  and 
organize  interests,  to  present  a  solid  front  not  in  antag- 
onism to  the  government  agencies,  but  in  cooperation 
with  them.  It  is  only  in  this  way  that  it  is  at  all  pos- 
sible to  have  a  genuine  statesmanship  of  rural  affairs. 


2o6     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

On  what  plan  can  farmers  develop  that  full  measure  of 
organized  effort  that  will  give  them  power  to  speak 
and  act  together?  The  following  scheme  is  at  least 
suggestive. 

1.  Develop  as  rapidly  as  possible  the  organization 
of  producing  groups  such  as  the  cotton  men,  the  live- 
stock men,  the  dairymen.  These  should  interest  them- 
selves to  an  extent  in  increased  production,  but  to  a 
much  greater  extent  in  efficient  methods  of  buying  their 
supplies  and  selling  their  products,  and  in  legislation 
affecting  their  business. 

2.  Maintain  the  great  farmers'  organizations,  such 
as  the  Grange  and  the  Farmers'  Union,  with  rather 
large,  general  objectives  and  with  a  very  broad  policy 
and  program. 

3.  Endeavor  to  secure  an  overhead  but  perhaps 
loosely  associated  league  of  all  organizations  of  farm- 
ers, possibly  much  like  the  present  National  Board  of 
Farmers'  Organizations,  which  will  draw  together  the 
various  organized  activities  of  farmers  for  confer- 
ence and  counsel. 

4.  It  is  possible  that  such  a  league  of  farmers'  or- 
ganizations may  be  sufficiently  aggressive  for  all  legiti- 
mate political  purposes  that  the  farmers  may  care  to 
press.  If  it  is  not,  however,  there  will  be  a  place  from 
time  to  time  for  definite  political  movements  on  the 
part  of  farmers. 

5.  Make  a  plan  for  securing  the  clear-cut  coopera- 
tion with  organized  farmers  of  all  the  publicly  sup- 
ported agencies  for  agricultural  improvement,  partic- 
ularly those  of  an  educational  nature,  but  including  also 
the  administrative  or  regulatory  bureaus  and  depart- 
ments. 

6.  There  should  be  a  national  country  life  committee 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  207 

which  should  seek  to  bring  to  a  common  platform  all 
the  activities  of  the  associated  efforts  that  are  already 
at  work  or  that  may  develop  on  behalf  of  rural  educa- 
tion, the  rural  home,  adequate  recreation,  health  and 
sanitation,  country  planning,  and  morals  and  religion. 

7.  In  some  way  the  interests  of  the  city,  not  only  of 
consumers  but  also  of  urban  agricultural  business  inter- 
ests, should  be  recognized  in  order  that  they  may  be 
brought  into  intimate  touch  with  the  farmers  and  the 
agricultural  agencies.  We  cannot  make  progress  in 
the  New  Day  unless  the  agricultural  interests  in  food 
production  and  distribution  are  tied  up  with  the  inter- 
ests which  the  rest  of  the  world  have  in  the  agricultural 
industry. 

8.  Establish  a  National  Council  of  Agriculture  and 
Country  Life  that  will  be  a  conferring  and  deliberating 
body,  large  enough  to  be  thoroughly  representative  of 
all  public  as  well  as  voluntary  agencies.  It  should  be 
small  enough  for  deliberate  counsel.  The  National 
Council  of  Agriculture  and  Country  Life  would  not 
commit  any  of  its  members  to  policies  subversive  of 
their  interests  as  they  see  them.  It  would  simply  be  a 
central  body  which,  by  its  careful  deliberations,  by  its 
wide  representation,  and  by  the  breadth  and  scope  of  its 
purposes,  would  be  considered  by  the  farmers  them- 
selves, by  Congress,  and  by  the  world  at  large,  as  the 
responsible  spokesman  for  the  best  thought  and  purpose 
in  American  agriculture  and  country  life. 

THE    FARM    PRESS 

The  agricultural  press  is  an  exceedingly  important 
factor  in  rural  advancement.  As  a  rule,  it  deals  thor- 
oughly and  adequately  with  problems  of  production. 
Certain  agricultural  papers  have  for  many  years  cov- 


2o8     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

ered  in  a  clear-cut  way  the  business  requirements  of 
farmers.  Some,  however,  have  failed  to  appreciate 
the  cooperative  movement  or  have  overdone  the  atti- 
tude of  bitterness  toward  the  middleman.  Others  have 
been  inclined  to  cater  to  the  farmer's  prejudices  and  to 
hammer  incessantly  at  the  city  man  and  his  interests  and 
his  theories.  Probably,  as  a  class,  the  agricultural  pa- 
pers have  neglected  the  country  life  aspects  of  the  rural 
problem.  Various  organizations  of  farmers  have  their 
organs  which  deal  much  more  with  the  machinery  of  the 
organization  than  with  broad  policies.  In  some  re- 
spects the  agricultural  press  is  the  most  important  sin- 
gle agency  in  developing  rural  public  opinion,  as  it  is 
the  most  widely  read  of  all  publications  relating  to 
agriculture.  It  arrives  in  the  farm  home  regularly  and 
frequently.  It  assumes  to  be  the  spokesman  of  the 
farmer,  and  usually  it  meets  him  on  his  own  ground. 

Our  agricultural  editors  are  among  the  clearest 
headed  leaders  in  the  whole  agricultural  field.  If  one 
outside  of  the  fold  might  offer  advice  to  the  agricultural 
press,  it  would  be  the  importance  of  seeing  the  light  of 
the  New  Day  and  interpreting  fundamental  democracy 
to  American  farmers. 

THE    STATESMANSHIP    OF    RURAL    AFFAIRS 

The  great  war  is  coming  to  its  close  as  these  words 
are  being  written.  The  world  has  been  made  safe  for 
democracy.  The  war  is  over,  but  the  great  struggle  of 
the  New  Day  has  but  just  begun.  Democracy  must  be 
made  safe  for  the  world. 

If  the  development  of  real  and  permanent  democracy 
becomes  the  main  peace  task  of  the  nations  of  the 
world,  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  a  task  affecting  hosts  of 
rural  people.      It  is  true  that  in  highly  industrial  coun- 


RURAL  STATESMANSHIP  209 

tries,  like  Belgium,  England,  France,  or  Germany,  the 
laboring  man,  the  wage  earner,  will  be  the  spokes- 
man for  social  reconstruction.  Labor  has  already 
made  its  demand  that  it  shall  be  represented  at  the 
peace  table.  Taking  the  world  around,  however,  la- 
bor as  compared  with  agriculture  is  a  minority  party. 
It  has  everywhere  a  big  stake  in  democracy,  but  so  has 
agriculture.  Nine-tenths  of  the  people  of  Russia  are 
rural.  Poland,  the  Balkans,  the  larger  part  of  Aus- 
tria, Asia  Minor  are  either  all  distinctively  or  strongly 
rural.  If  the  democratic  movement  spreads  to  India 
or  China,  it  will  have  to  deal  to  a  very  large  extent  with 
rural  people.  Indeed,  there  are  but  few  really  urban 
nations.  Labor  is  rightfully  insistent  upon  a  fuller 
measure  of  democracy,  and  it  Is  more  vocal  than  agri- 
culture, perhaps  because  it  feels  more  keenly  its  dis- 
ability. If  the  laborer  is  out  of  work  he  soon  ap- 
proaches the  dead  line  of  starvation.  The  farmer  may 
be  economically  oppressed  and  yet  manage  to  get  bread 
for  himself  and  his  family.  But  labor  is  heard  chiefly 
because  it  is  well  organized  and  groups  itself  in  the 
great  centers  of  population  where  it  has  access  to  pub- 
lic opinion.  The  farmers  are  scattered  and  unorgan- 
ized and  have  few  organs  of  public  opinion.  The  great 
populations  of  the  world  can  become  democratic  only  as 
their  agriculture  is  organized  and  their  farm  population 
is  intelligent  and  cooperative. 

Agriculture  as  a  world  issue  will  be  forced  upon  us 
by  the  demand  for  food,  even  if  the  demand  for  democ- 
racy should  fail  as  a  rallying  cry.  Both  sides  in  the 
world  war  were  compelled  to  unify  the  problem  of  their 
food  supply.  The  moment  the  armistice  was  declared, 
an  effort  was  made  to  treat  the  problem  of  supplying 
food  to  all  the  nations  that  have  been  at  war  as  one 


2IO     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

large  unified  task.  There  is  no  other  possible  way  of 
handling  the  matter,  at  least  until  each  country  has  had 
a  chance  to  get  back  to  something  like  normal  condi- 
tions in  agricultural  production.  But  why  should  not 
this  unifying  of  the  world's  food  supply  be  a  permanent 
affair?  In  truth,  it  is  not  any  longer  merely  national. 
There  has  been  much  discussion  about  nations  becoming 
self-sufficing  as  to  food.  If  we  are  still  to  live  in  prepa- 
ration for  possible  future  wars,  it  is  vital  for  national 
safety  that  each  country  should  grow  as  much  as  it  can 
of  its  own  soil  products.  But  if  the  world's  need  is  to 
be  met  by  a  world  statesmanship,  agriculture  must  be 
the  subject  of  the  wisest  planning  and  the  most  thor- 
ough organization.  The  farmer  cannot  be  omitted  in 
the  evolution  of  the  statesmanship  demanded  for  the 
New  Day. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY 

Why  do  we  hear  so  much  these  days  about  democ- 
racy? Europe  perhaps  needs  democracy,  but  why  dis- 
cuss It  for  America?  It  Is  easy  to  sense  the  contrast 
between  autocratic  Germany  and  free  America.  It  is 
clear  that  when  Russia  overthrew  the  reign  of  the  Czar 
she  desired  democracy;  and  It  Is  equally  clear  that  what 
she  really  obtained  at  first  was  not  democracy  at  all,  but 
merely  a  different  kind  of  autocracy.  Some  of  us  may 
have  read  the  declaration  of  the  British  Labor  Party, 
which  calls  for  a  "  complete  reconstruction  of  society," 
and  perhaps  we  observed  to  ourselves  that  for  England 
with  Its  House  of  Lords  and  its  king  and  Its  nobility, 
such  a  necessity  may  exist;  but  as  for  America  we  now 
have  democracy  and  no  reconstruction  Is  needed. 

Democracy  is  the  outstanding,  distinctive  glory  of 
our  great  country.  Her  mission  has  been  to  show  the 
world  how  to  develop  a  nation  at  once  populous,  busy, 
efficient,  free.  But  this  is  not  the  whole  story.  Most 
Americans  think  of  democracy  as  a  form  of  government 
in  which  the  people  rule  through  their  right  to  vote. 
Democracy  is  something  far  more  than  popular  election 
of  representatives  or  even  of  popular  vote  on  laws  and 
constitutions.  We  may  easily  mistake  the  form  of 
democratic  government  for  its  reality.  Have  we  never 
protested  against  the  rule  of  "  bosses  "  and  of  "  rings  " 
and  of  "  the  interests  "?  Are  we  satisfied  that  even  in 
government  we  have  actually  realized  the  full  fact  of 


212     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

a  true  democracy?  But  we  have  made  an  even  more 
serious  blunder.  We  have  assumed  that  the  demo- 
cratic mode  of  government  makes  us  sure  of  the  dem- 
ocratic mode  of  working  and  of  living  together.  Per- 
haps we  have  not  even  thought  of  democracy  as  having 
any  connection  with  business  or  industry,  or  with  what 
we  call  our  social  relations.  But  if  we  do  think  about 
this  aspect  of  democracy,  do  we  not  realize  at  once  that 
the  best  use  of  a  democratic  government  is  to  ensure  us 
real  freedom  in  our  work  and  life?  Are  we  satisfied 
that  even  in  America  the  conditions  under  which  the 
majority  of  men  work  are  entirely  fair?  We  have 
seen  the  rise  of  labor  organizations,  the  enactment  of 
legislation  to  restrain  monopolies  and  to  regulate  huge 
business  enterprises.  We  witnessed  the  urge  of  the 
Progressive  party  for  "  the  square  deal."  Do  we  not 
realize  that  all  these  things  were  simply  phases  of  the 
great  struggle  for  more  democracy  in  all  aspects  of  our 
national  affairs? 

We  cannot  fully  appreciate  the  demand  for  more  de- 
mocracy, here  as  well  as  in  other  countries,  which  the 
New  Day  will  surely  bring  to  us,  unless  we  dwell 
thoughtfully  upon  the  principles  that  underlie  a  true 
democracy.  Let  us  see  what  they  mean  for  the  farmer. 
There  are  perhaps  four  great  ideas  that  serve  as  the 
underpinning  of  a  true  democracy: 

(i)    Individual  freedom, 

(2)  Equality  of  opportunity, 

(3)  Responsible  participation  in  affairs,  and 

(4)  Cooperation  for  the  common  good. 

INDIVIDUAL    FREEDOM 

What  a  world  of  history  has  been  made  in  the  effort 
of  mankind  to  achieve  freedom  —  the  liberty  of  indi- 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  213 

viduals  to  act,  to  think,  to  believe,  to  worship,  to  gov- 
ern, each  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  con- 
science, will  or  interest!  Men  may  follow  a  long,  a 
torturous,  a  steep  and  even  a  bloody  road  to  freedom, 
but  freedom  they  will  have.  The  democratic  instinct 
will  push  its  way  to  the  light.  But  men  want  the  reality 
not  merely  the  forms  of  freedom.  They  must  be  free 
to  work  where  they  will,  free  to  move  out  of  one 
"  class  "  into  another,  free  to  initiate  enterprise,  free 
to  go  and  to  come.  Freedom  is  impossible  however 
unless  all  people  everywhere  realize  and  acknowledge 
the  dignity  of  manhood.  A  man's  a  man.  The  man 
himself  must  appreciate  this  fact.  He  must  seek  free- 
dom from  ignorance,  from  prejudice,  from  vicious 
habits.  He  must  desire  earnestly  the  best  gifts.  If  he 
wants  others  to  regard  him  as  a  man  he  must  seek  to 
be  a  man.  He  must  be  as  ambitious  for  himself  as 
others  are  for  him.  He  must  not  only  have  the  chance 
to  grow  into  the  stature  of  full  manhood,  he  must  want 
to  do  it.  Real  democracy  means  not  merely  freedom 
of  the  individual  from  slavery  to  other  individuals,  but 
from  slavery  to  his  own  worse  self. 

Is  the  American  farmer  free?  Undoubtedly  he  is 
more  free  than  the  farmer  of  any  other  country,  and 
probably  fully  as  free  as  the  member  of  any  other  great 
group  or  class  of  citizens  in  America.  The  farmer's 
independence  has  been  his  pride  and  has  often  made 
him  the  envy  of  others.  He  has  stood  upon  his  own 
feet  on  his  own  land,  worked  in  his  own  way,  moved 
about  as  he  desired.  He  has  managed  his  own  busi- 
ness, bought  his  supplies  and  sold  his  products,  made 
his  own  bargains.  His  sons  and  his  daughters  have 
stayed  on  the  farm  or  have  gone  into  other  callings  as 
they  chose. 


214    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Nevertheless,  there  has  been  creeping  into  our  farm 
life  a  certain  dim,  intangible  limitation  to  the  farmer's 
freedom,  one  that  the  farmer,  while  often  conscious  of 
it,  does  not  always  appreciate  as  a  failure  of  democracy. 
During  the  past  few  decades,  certain  bonds  have  been 
tightening  around  him.  The  free  land  is  exhausted;  it 
is  increasingly  more  difficult  for  the  man  without  capital 
to  procure  land  for  farming.  Many  of  the  limitations 
of  the  farmer  described  in  an  earlier  chapter  are  hedg- 
ing him  about  and  limiting  his  freedom. 

EQUALITY    OF    OPPORTUNITY 

This  is  closely  akin  to  freedom.  Freedom  implies 
liberty  to  act,  think,  speak  freely.  Equality  of  oppor- 
tunity means  that  each  man  has  an  equal  chance  with 
every  other  man  to  grow,  to  make  the  most  of  himself. 
Men  are  not  equal  in  capacity  and  no  democracy  can 
make  them  so.  But  what  democracy  asks  is  that  each 
man  may  have  as  good  a  chance  as  every  other  man  to 
develop  whatever  capacity  he  may  have.  With  the 
growth  of  cities,  the  farmer  has  probably  been  slowly 
but  rather  surely  losing  ground  with  respect  to  some  of 
his  opportunities  as  compared  with  those  that  he  would 
find  if  he  became  a  city  dweller.  He  has  an  increasing 
lack  of  opportunity  to  share  in  some  of  the  things  that 
are  best  developed  where  many  people  are  concerned, 
and  where  ample  money  resources  are  available.  On 
the  more  superficial  side  of  life,  in  amusements,  con- 
veniences, comforts,  the  city  has  rather  outstripped  the 
country.  Lectures,  concerts,  operas,  theaters,  electric 
lights,  rapid  transit  —  these  come  to  the  city  dweller 
first  and  sometimes  exclusively.  To  many  farming 
areas  these  things  are  fully  available,  but  in  vast  regions 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  215 

the  poverty  of  such  resources  is  characteristic.  This 
would  not  be  so  serious  if  there  were  not  increasing  lim- 
itations of  a  more  fundamental  sort.  On  the  whole  the 
country  child  does  not  have  as  good  a  chance  for  a 
thorough  schooling  as  the  city  child.  The  country 
church  is  not,  as  a  rule,  exercising  as  much  leadership  in 
constructive  thinking  about  the  application  of  Christian 
principles  to  human  problems  as  the  city  church. 
Books  and  solid  periodicals  are  found  everywhere  in 
the  country,  but  it  is  a  question  whether,  for  example, 
there  are  to-day  among  farmers  as  many  real  students 
of  democratic  policies  as  there  are  among  working  men. 
The  isolation  of  the  farmer  has  helped  him  to  a  real 
independence  or  freedom,  but  it  tends  also  gradually  to 
lessen  his  chances  for  an  equal  race  with  his  fellows  in 
other  occupations. 

RESPONSIBLE    PARTICIPATION   IN   AFFAIRS 

We  say  that  in  a  democracy  the  people  rule.  We 
mean  that  each  citizen  has  his  chance  to  express  his 
views  about  how  all  the  people  shall  act.  He  partici- 
pates in  government  because  the  whole  thing  eventually 
comes  back  to  him  for  approval  or  disapproval.  Now 
the  oncoming  fight  for  more  democracy  is  based  on  the 
idea  that  the  people  shall  manage  their  work  as  well  as 
their  politics.  We  were  so  proud  of  our  freedom 
which  allowed  an  individual  to  manage  his  own  busi- 
ness, that  when  big  business  grew  up  we  were  inclined 
to  forget  that  the  men  who  furnish  labor  as  well  as  the 
men  who  furnish  capital  or  those  who  supply  executive 
ability,  should  have  a  part  in  the  management  of  the 
entire  business.  We  are  now  asking  ourselves  whether 
this  scheme  is  fair.      Does  the  workman  really  get  his 


2i6    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

share  in  the  gains  of  industry?  Does  he  have  a  fair 
chance  to  decide  upon  the  conditions  under  which  he 
works? 

It  is  this  test  of  a  democracy  that  is  the  most  serious 
when  applied  to  American  agriculture.  The  farmer 
still  manages  his  farm,  subject  of  course  to  the  incon- 
sistencies of  Mother  Nature,  but  it  is  very  doubtful  if 
he  manages  his  business.  It  takes  two  to  make  a  bar- 
gain; yet  the  individual  farmer  participates  too  slightly 
in  pricemaking,  either  when  he  sells  or  when  he  buys. 
"  He  takes  what  he  can  get  and  he  pays  what  he  must  " 
is  the  crude  but  fairly  accurate  way  of  putting  it.  Nor 
does  he  as  yet  have  free  access  to  the  great  reservoirs  of 
capital  and  of  labor,  nor  to  proper  facilities  for  pro- 
tection and  insurance,  that  are  available  to  other  men 
who  need  to  use  these  factors.  He  is  gradually  losing 
the  ownership  of  his  land,  the  most  important  thing  of 
all.  Farmers  have  an  enormous  influence  as  a  group 
of  voters  at  the  polls  but  not  very  much  in  constructive 
politics.  They  do  not  assist  as  much  in  planning  the 
big  movements  and  in  giving  direction  to  the  big  forces 
that  affect  their  industry,  as  is  the  case  with  other  large 
groups. 

COOPERATION   FOR   THE  COMMON   GOOD 

Our  older  American  democracy  staked  its  success  on 
the  freedom  of  the  individual.  The  newer  democracy 
puts  its  main  stress  upon  the  cooperation  of  all  Individ- 
uals for  the  common  good.  "  No  man  liveth  unto  him- 
self "  was  always  good  morals;  in  our  time  it  is  good 
citizenship,  good  government  and  good  business. 
Complete  personal  Independence  is  no  longer  possible, 
if  ever  it  was.  The  world's  work  Is  done  by  groups, 
large  and  small,  more  or  less  compact  and  well  organ- 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  217 

ized.  The  lone  man  cannot  be  really  free.  True  free- 
dom implies  working  with  one's  fellows.  Both  self- 
interest  and  public  interest  demand  cooperation.  The 
individual  becomes  responsible  to  all  the  rest  to  an  ex- 
tent that  makes  his  attitude  toward  them  the  real  test 
of  morals.  If  he  works  for  the  common  good  he  is  a 
good  man;  if  he  works  against  it  he  is  a  bad  man.  In 
the  same  way  all  of  us  must  assume  a  new  responsibil- 
ity for  each  individual's  well-being. 

Perhaps  some  one  will  discover  a  better  word  than 
"  efficiency  "  to  describe  the  idea  that  is  now  conveyed 
by  that  word;  but  we  cannot  dispense  with  the  idea. 
Democracy  must  be  truly  efficient  if  it  is  to  be  perma- 
nent. Now  the  key  to  efficiency  is  organization  —  that 
process  by  which  each  person  does  in  the  best  way 
what  he  can  best  do  to  help  carry  out  some  common 
plan.  But  organization  usually  means  a  planning  and 
directing  mind.  There  must  be  a  leader,  usually  a 
"  boss."  Democracies  realize  this  and  so  they  choose 
their  "  boss."  This  man  is  cheerfuly  obeyed  so  long 
as  he  himself  is  efficient  and  fair;  when  he  is  not,  he  is 
displaced.  An  autocracy  gives  the  participants  in  any 
given  piece  of  work  no  chance  either  to  choose  or  to  re- 
call the  leader  or  commander.  If  democracy  so  wills, 
it  can  be  more  truly  and  permanently  efficient  than  an 
autocracy,  because  it  can  substitute  free,  interested,  in- 
telligent, cooperating  groups  for  coerced  underlings. 
These  truths  apply  to  industry  as  well  as  to  govern- 
ment. Here  lies  one  of  democracy's  great  tasks  when 
the  war  is  over  —  to  unite  freedom  with  efficiency,  to 
make  cooperating  groups,  under  expert  leadership,  take 
the  place,  the  world  over  and  in  all  departments  of 
human  work  and  life,  of  compulsory  terms  of  labor 
and  of  autocratic  methods  of  organizations. 


2i8    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

A  democracy,  therefore,  must  be  fraternal.  The 
highest  ideal  of  a  democracy  is  a  real  brotherhood.  If 
the  spirit  of  brotherhood  be  not  present  in  full  measure, 
there  can  be  no  democracy.  In  fact  true  democracy  is 
spirit  rather  thflrti-  ftorm.  If  you  cannot  feel  right  to- 
ward your  fellows,  feel  the  dignity  and  worth  of  each 
man,  feel  glad  when  he  succeeds  and  sorry  when  he 
fails,  feel  angry  when  injustice  prevails  and  be  coura- 
geous to  insist  on  the  square  deal  for  every  man,  feel 
anxious  that  every  man  have  his  chance  as  well  as  that 
you  have  yours  —  if  you  have  not  this  attitude  you  are 
by  that  much  short  of  being  a  true  democrat. 

The  American  farmer  is  a  friendly  man.  It  is 
doubtful  if  anywhere  in  the  world  there  can  be  found 
so  large  a  class  of  people  who  feel  more  completely  and 
keenly  this  fundamental  spirit  of  democracy.  But  the 
farmer  has  been  slow  to  learn  the  lessons  of  coopera- 
tion. He  is  still  an  individualist.  Probably  only 
necessity  will  drive  him  to  cooperation.  But  the  New 
Day  is  itself  a  necessity.  The  farmers  will  fail  griev- 
ously to  meet  their  obligations  to  the  world  need  if  they 
decline  to  organize  thoroughly  for  the  sake  of  efficiency 
and  in  order  the  better  to  fulfill  their  special  responsi- 
bilities. It  is  at  this  point  that  democracy  calls  to  the 
farmer  for  help. 

THE    RURAL    CONTRIBUTION    TO    DEMOCRACY 

It  would  be  a  great  misfortune  if,  in  this  supreme 
crisis  of  world  history,  the  leaders  who  seek  to  rebuild 
human  society  everywhere  on  a  democratic  basis  should 
fail  to  include  the  land  tillers  in  their  plan,  or  if  the 
farmers  themselves  should  fail  to  rise  to  the  new  de- 
mands upon  their  intelligence,  their  power  to  cooperate, 
their  loyalty  to  the  best  in  citizenship.     The  fact  of 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  219 

mere  numbers  is  itself  important.  The  farmer  vote 
wherever  universal  suffrage  prevails  holds  the  balance 
of  power  or  is  overwhelmingly  the  majority  vote.  The 
business  of  farming  is  vital  and  primary.  The  farmers 
have  an  innate  love  of  fair  play.  It  is  certainly  true  of 
the  American  farmer  that  he  is  a  thoughtful  citizen. 
He  has  time  to  think  and  he  does  think.  There  is  a 
certain  poise  or  balance  among  farmers,  amounting 
often  to  undue  conservatism,  that  can  assist  mightily 
in  an  evolutionary  rather  than  a  revolutionary  progress. 
Let  it  be  said  too  that  any  efforts  to  prevent  democracy 
from  having  its  way  in  the  new  time  must  not  be  scorn- 
ful of  the  farmer's  influence;  for  once  he  has  broken 
the  moorings  of  conservatism  he  becomes  a  radical  of 
the  radicals.  The  very  insistence  of  the  farmer  upon 
the  freedom  of  the  individual  is  good  doctrine  in  a  time 
of  organized  effort.  For  let  the  rural  emphasis  upon 
individualism  be  broadened  a  bit  until  it  becomes  merely 
insistence  upon  individuality  and  we  will  have  almost 
the  ideal  attitude.  Individualism  tends  unquestionably 
to  be  selfish.  Individuality  just  as  surely  is  needed  in  a 
world  where  the  cooperation  of  great  groups  may  easily 
submerge  the  man  himself.  The  farmer  has  a  genuine 
contribution  to  make  to  a  fuller  democracy. 

SOME    QUESTIONS    ARISE 

But  will  American  farmers  cooperate?  There  is  no 
doubt  but  the  American  farmer  instinctively  and  tradi- 
tionally prefers  the  independent  method  of  work.  Yet 
for  fifty  years  he  has  recognized  the  growing  need  of 
collective  effort.  As  a  matter  of  fact  a  complete  census 
of  organized  activities  among  our  farmers  would  reveal 
a  stupendous  development  of  cooperative  endeavor. 
Our  country  is  so  big,  the  needs  of  different  sections  so 


220    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

different,  that  we  see  only  parts  of  the  whole.  The 
cooperative  worlc  of  farmers  is  done  quietly  as  a  rule. 
It  does  not  easily  gain  publicity,  especially  in  cities. 
The  most  serious  phase  of  the  situation  is  that  there  is 
nowhere  a  big,  comprehensive  policy  with  respect  to 
cooperation.  We  need  to  know  more  fully  where  col- 
lective action  is  desirable  or  necessary.  We  need  some 
general  overhead  plan  for  the  steady,  sane,  effective  de- 
velopment of  cooperation  in  all  fields  of  rural  improve- 
ment. It  is  here  that  the  need  is  greatest  and  so  here 
the  most  thought  and  study  should  come;  here,  too,  the 
first  steps  should  be  taken.  The  extent  of  the  farmer's 
contribution  to  democracy  depends  in  large  measure 
upon  his  success  in  establishing  a  wise  policy  of  collec- 
tive action. 

Can  the  city  help  the  country?  And  will  the  farmer 
cooperate  with  city  people  and  agencies?  The  city  can 
help  the  country  materially,  but  only  as  it  attempts  to 
do  so  in  the  full  spirit  of  genuine  cooperation.  Farm- 
ers resent  "slumming"  and  "uplift."  If  it  were 
otherwise  we  would  know  that  the  old-time  American 
farmer  had  passed  away.  But  even  well-meant  effort 
by  an  urban  group  often  fails  because  of  inadequate 
knowledge  of  conditions.  It  is  easy  to  assume  that 
what  has  "  worked  "  in  the  city  will  work  in  the  coun- 
try; that  the  organizing  and  executive  genius  that  has 
built  huge  industries,  if  applied  to  the  solution  of  the 
troubles  of  farmers,  will  master  the  situation;  that  lead- 
ership in  agricultural  matters,  especially  in  their  busi- 
ness aspect,  must  come  from  the  city;  that  farmers  are 
in  the  last  throes  of  despair  and  need  above  all  else  the 
saving  services  of  organized  philanthropy.  The  farm- 
ers in  turn  find  it  difficult  not  to  resent  any  approach 
from  urban  interests,  even  those  most  sincere  and  sym- 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  221 

pathetic;  to  be  suspicious  of  some  dark  plot  to  entrap 
the  unwary;  to  assume  that  all  city  residents  regard 
country  residents  as  inferior;  to  be  in  general  unduly 
class-conscious.  There  is  no  doubt  but  the  city  can  help 
the  country  in  many  ways.  It  has  organizing  ability, 
it  has  wealth,  it  has  well-developed  agencies  for  both 
business  and  social  improvement.  The  right  sort  of 
urban  aid,  from  the  right  sort  of  people,  offered  in  a 
spirit  of  genuine  cooperation  and  suffused  with  under- 
standing as  well  as  real  sympathy,  could  be  vitalized  In 
many  rural  causes.  There  is  no  sound  reason  why 
farmers  should  not  welcome  such  cooperation,  and  they 
will  do  so  once  it  is  clear  that  the  offer  is  sincere  and 
intelligent. 

Another  question,  less  frequently  asked,  is  equally 
pertinent:  Can  the  country  help  the  city?  Why  not? 
It  already  furnishes  fresh  blood  for  city  building. 
Were  it  not  for  this  transfusion,  city  life  would  surely 
deteriorate.  The  country  can  endeavor  to  ensure  the 
health  of  the  migration  cityward.  The  service  to  the 
cities  and  so  to  the  nation  which  the  country  is  ren- 
dering as  the  nursery  of  young  manhood  and  woman- 
hood is  not  sufficiently  recognized.  The  greatest  asset 
of  a  democracy  is  people  who  are  healthy  of  body,  intel- 
ligent of  mind,  clean  of  morals  and  friendly  of  spirit. 
The  farms  have  bred  such  people  and  they  can  and 
should  continue  to  breed  them.  It  will  be  one  of  the 
farmer's  best  contributions  to  democracy.  The  farmer 
can  help  the  city  by  trying  to  understand  the  problems 
of  the  city.  He  can  support  such  wise  measures  of  re- 
form as  will  help  the  honest  urban  citizens  to  put  under 
foot  the  sinister  forces  that  haunt  municipal  politics  and 
prey  upon  the  people.  Farmers  habitually  think  of 
these  things  as  not  particularly  their  affair;  but  it  is  their 


222    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

affair.  Both  city  and  country  must  see  their  mutual  de- 
pendence. The  national  welfare  is  far  bigger  than  any 
questions  of  country  or  city  alone. 

Is  there  a  rural  aristocracy?  It  is  often  assumed 
that  the  sharp  distinctions  between  very  rich  and  very 
poor,  which  seem  so  patent  in  the  city,  do  not  exist  in 
the  country,  and  that  therefore  the  farmers  show  no 
social  cleavages.  This  is  contrary  both  to  fact  and  to 
good  sense.  Every  neighborhood  has  its  family  or 
families  of  comparative  wealth.  As  a  rule  this  wealth 
is  due  to  superior  skill,  though  sometimes  merely  to  the 
accident  of  inheritance.  In  every  neighborhood  there 
are  the  relatively  poor.  This  poverty  is  due  often  to 
sheer  incompetence,  but  of  course  also  to  misfortune. 
It  is  idle  to  deny  that  there  are  wide  divergencies  of 
capacity,  of  intelligence,  of  refinement  among  farm 
families,  and  these  divergencies  cause  certain  groupings, 
classifications,  even  cliques.  The  plantation  system  of 
the  South  bred  marked  distinctions  between  owner  and 
laborer  as  well  as  social  antagonisms.  In  the  North 
the  old  practice  of  the  "  hired  man  "  and  the  "  hired 
girl  "  eating  with  the  family  tends  to  disappear.  The 
influx  of  alien  races  breaks  up  the  old  alignments.  But 
why  should  we  not  expect  all  this?  It  is  a  false  idea  of 
democracy  that  fails  to  provide  for  the  distinctions  that 
grow  out  of  real  differences  among  people.  There  is 
a  true  equality  and  there  is  a  false  equality  in  a  de- 
mocracy. Moreover,  in  spite  of  our  best  selves,  we 
find  ourselves  rather  proud  of  such  attainments  as  set 
us  above  or  apart  from  the  crowd.  There  is  an  inher- 
ent tendency  toward  aristocracy.  At  its  best  this  tend- 
ency lies  at  the  root  of  ambition  to  excel.  The  sjreat 
fact  about  farmers  in  this  connection  is  that  in  spite  of 
natural  differences  and  inequalities,  there  is  a  certain 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  223 

friendliness,  common  dealing  and  mutual  understand- 
ing in  American  farm  life  that  is  not  duplicated  any- 
where else.  In  a  typical  and  prosperous  farming  re- 
gion, say  of  the  Middle  West,  we  get  as  much  democ- 
racy in  the  social  sense  as  we  will  ever  get  anywhere. 

We  must  recognize  that  the  last  decades  have,  how- 
ever, seen  the  beginnings  of  a  possible  stratification  of 
farmers  which  may  soon  become  a  real  menace.  Its 
sharpest  challenge  is  the  widening  chasm  in  wealth,  in- 
telligence and  interest,  between  the  fortunate  and  effi- 
cient farmer  of  high-priced  fertile  land,  and  the  dis- 
couraged, transient  tenant  who  tries  without  capital, 
without  credit  and  sometimes  without  either  intelligence 
or  foresight,  to  make  his  living  from  the  soil. 

Will  farmers  use  experts?  This  is  one  of  the  most 
important  questions  in  a  democracy.  The  old  idea  of 
democracy  stressed  the  notion  that  all  men  are  equal. 
Consequently  the  average  man  might  be  considered  ca- 
pable of  performing  all  the  offices  of  democracy.  This 
doctrine  has  a  powerful  hold  upon  the  American 
farmer.  It  is  born  in  part  of  a  wrong  idea  of  democ- 
racy and  in  part  of  good  sense.  Democracy  does  not 
level  all  men  to  the  same  talent  —  some  have  ten  tal- 
ents and  some  have  but  one.  It  is  mischievous  to  hold 
that  the  man  without  special  fitness  or  even  without 
special  training  can  do  a  certain.piece  of  work  as  well 
as  the  one  who  has  fitness  or  training  or  both.  In 
other  words,  the  expert  or  specialist  is  just  as  important 
in  a  democracy  as  he  is  in  a  highly  organized  autocratic 
state.  On  the  other  hand,  specialists  are  fallible  and 
sometimes  narrow.  The  farmers  are  using  experts 
probably  more  freely  on  the  whole  than  is  any  other 
group  of  people.  The  agents  of  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  and  members  of  the  staff  of 


2  24    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

agricultural  colleges  and  schools  and  the  county  agents 
employed  by  the  farm  bureaus,  as  they  go  in  and  out 
among  the  farmers,  have  won  their  respect  and  regard 
in  performing  for  the  farmers  a  very  real  service. 
Thus  far,  however,  the  use  of  the  agricultural  specialist 
is  found  chiefly  in  the  field  of  production,  but  he  must 
be  utilized  also  in  helping  to  solve  the  great  problems  of 
distribution  of  food  and  of  country  life.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that  during  the  war  the  fairly  large,  well-trained, 
clear-headed  group  of  agricultural  economists  in  this 
country  has  not  been  utilized  in  connection  with  the 
food  supply  program  to  anything  like  the  extent  that 
they  should  have  been.  We  still  have  a  long  way  to  go 
in  making  democracy  efficient.  The  farmers,  however, 
are  more  and  more  willing  to  follow  the  advice  of  the 
agricultural  specialists. 

Will  the  farmer  lose  his  strength  as  an  individual  in 
a  more  compact  organization  of  agriculture?  There  is 
danger,  no  doubt.  Organization,  it  is  clear,  does  tend 
to  submerge  the  individual,  but  only  where  organiza- 
tion Is  faulty.  True  organization  means  the  best  pos- 
sible utilization  of  all  the  factors  that  are  available,  and 
of  course  the  biggest  possible  man  is  a  prime  factor  in 
any  enterprise.  In  other  words,  If  organization  is  used 
merely  to  get  material  and  Immediate  results  without 
regard  to  what  happens  to  the  individuals  concerned, 
then  it  Is  faulty  and  bad.  But  true  organization  takes 
a  long  look  ahead  and  values  the  growth  of  a  man  more 
than  it  values  his  product. 

Should  farmers  go  into  politics  in  order  to  aid  de- 
mocracy? Politics  Is  really  only  a  means  to  an  end. 
We  assume  the  need  of  honest  and  efficient  government, 
but  that  Is  or  should  be  merely  a  matter  of  good  ma- 
chinery.    Laws  and  their  administration  deal   funda- 


THE  NEW  DEMOCRACY  225 

mentally  with  two  main  human  interests,  the  distribu- 
tion of  wealth  and  the  increase  of  general  welfare. 
Now  if  the  farmers  are  to  have  their  share  of  wealth 
and  if  they  are  to  obtain  for  themselves  and  their  fam- 
ilies all  the  opportunities  for  welfare  that  they  deserve, 
they  may  have  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  upon  state  and 
national  legislation.  Permanently,  there  can  scarcely 
be  a  place  for  a  farmers'  political  party,  but  there  will 
probably  always  be  a  place  for  a  fighting  farmers'  or- 
ganization. To  this  extent,  farmers  must  go  into  poli- 
tics. 

We  must  not  fail  to  realize  that  the  development  of 
the  real  local  rural  community  is  pretty  much  the  key 
to  a  successful  democracy  in  rural  affairs.  Over  and 
over  again  should  be  emphasized  the  fact  that  this  local 
community  has  in  it  all  the  possibilities  of  democracy. 
It  is,  indeed,  the  unit  of  democracy. 

And  finally,  is  there  any  relation  between  democracy 
and  Christianity?  The  most  ardent  supporter  of  de- 
mocracy ought  to  be  the  church.  True  democracy  is 
but  the  application  of  the  principles  of  brotherhood  to 
the  work  and  life  of  the  people.  It  would  be  a  great 
gain  if  those  who  are  interested  in  securing  industrial 
and  social  democracy  for  farmers  could  clasp  hands 
with  those  who  seek  to  fully  Christianize  all  rural  com- 
munities. A  true  and  full  democracy  is  identical  with 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  on  earth. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AN  AMERICAN  PROGRAM  OF  RURAL 
RECONSTRUCTION  ^ 

The  American  farmer  has  never  failed  to  meet  all  the 
issues  of  the  highest  patriotism.  In  days  of  peace,  he 
has  done  his  full  share  in  the  conquest  of  a  continent  for 
man's  use,  in  helping  to  feed  the  world,  in  perpetuat- 
ing and  extending  free  institutions  of  government,  uni- 
versal education,  and  ideals  of  a  high  morality  in  home 
and  community.  In  times  of  war,  though  a  lover  of 
peace,  he  has  responded  to  the  need  of  the  hour  with 
promptness  and  effectiveness.  At  Concord,  he  "  fired 
the  shot  heard  round  the  world."  In  our  Civil  war 
men  of  the  soil  on  both  sides  formed  the  majority  of 
the  fighting  forces;  to-day  their  sons  and  grandsons  are 
in  France.  In  the  present  crisis  the  farmer  has  rallied 
to  the  call  for  labor  and  sacrifice  in  his  own  field  of 
work.  He  has  enlarged  his  acreage  of  crops  and 
sought,  under  great  difl'iculties,  to  increase  his  yields. 
He  has  fed  his  own  armies  as  well  as  the  civil  popula- 
tions of  his  allies. 

In  common  with  the  men  in  other  great  classes  of  our 
people  who  have  believed  themselves  handicapped  in 
their  work  and  life,  the  American  farmer  has  felt  the 
recent  stirrings  of  important  changes  in  world  affairs. 
He  realizes  that  the  war  has  been  fought  for  a  truer 
freedom,  a  more  real  democracy.  He  has  faith  that 
the  common  man  is  to  have  a  better  chance;  that  the 

1  This  chapter  is  in  some  sort  a   summary  of  the  whole  book;  con- 
sequently, many  apparent  repetitions  occur. 

226 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     227 

vital  privileges  of  the  few  are  to  spread  to  the  many; 
that  the  competent  are  to  share  with  the  less  compe- 
tent; that  the  masses  of  the  people  are  to  have  larger 
responsibility  and  more  effective  voice  in  determining 
not  alone  their  methods  of  government,  but  the  condi- 
tions under  which  they  work  and  live.  He  is  conscious 
that  men  of  all  races,  realizing  the  flaws  in  their  mode 
of  living  together,  are  determined  to  plan  a  better  civ- 
ilization, to  reconstruct,  if  necessary,  the  very  founda- 
tions as  well  as  the  superstructure  of  society. 

The  American  farmer  insists  that  as  a  matter  of  mere 
justice  he  shall  become  a  beneficiary  of  this  proposed  re- 
building of  human  institutions.  He  is  not  willing  to 
admit  that  it  is  a  problem  which  concerns  only  or  even 
chiefly  the  so-called  "  laboring  classes."  He  himself 
is  a  laborer,  a  member  of  a  group  of  industrial  workers 
more  numerous  than  those  of  any  other  great  occupa- 
tion. He  is  aware  that  in  some  countries  the  farmers 
outnumber  all  other  workers  combined.  His  work  is 
fundamental  to  all  other  work.  He  not  only  feeds  the 
world,  but  he  furnishes  vast  quantities  of  raw  material 
out  of  which  are  fabricated  clothing  and  similar  indis- 
pensable supplies.  Poor  farming  in  any  nation  is  dis- 
astrous to  its  industry,  and  disadvantaged  farmers  are 
a  menace  to  any  civilization.  Moreover,  the  rural  peo- 
ples have  a  contribution  to  make  to  a  better  form  of 
society.  Country  life  of  the  right  sort  breeds  men  and 
women  who  hold  firmly  to  ideals  of  freedom,  of  thrift, 
of  moral  responsibility.  The  farmer's  voice  then 
should  be  heard  in  all  councils  designed  to  discuss  and 
provide  for  social  reconstruction.  He  has  a  right  to  be 
heard  where  his  interests  are  at  stake  and  a  duty  to  act 
where  his  service  can  forward  the  progress  of  hu- 
manity. 


228    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


THE    FARMER  S    HANDICAPS 

The  chief  complaint  of  the  American  farmer  is  that 
his  class  as  a  whole  does  not  receive  an  adequate  finan- 
cial return  for  capital  used  and  labor  expended.  In 
every  farming  community  there  are  prosperous  farm- 
ers; and  there  are  entire  regions  in  which,  at  least  dur- 
ing the  past  two  decades,  probably  a  substantial  major- 
ity of  the  farmers  have  made  a  reasonable  profit.  But 
the  net  income  of  perhaps  five  millions  of  the  seven  mil- 
lions of  farmers  of  the  country  is  pitifully  inadequate 
for  meeting  even  the  minimum  needs  of  a  family  in  civ- 
ilized society.  This  is  not  all.  There  exists  a  uni- 
versal belief  among  our  farmers,  a  conviction  sub- 
stantiated by  economists,  that  few  farmers  receive  for 
their  products  that  share  of  the  retail  price  which  a 
sound  and  economical  system  of  distribution  would  give 
them.  This  lack  of  due  reward  is  not  the  whole  of 
the  rural  problem,  but  it  is  the  most  serious  specific 
defect  in  agricultural  affairs. 

Some  of  the  farmer's  difficulties  are  chargeable  to 
the  nature  of  the  industry.  Nature  furnishes  the  essen- 
tials of  crop  and  animal  production  —  soil,  moisture, 
air,  light,  heat,  fertilizing  materials.  But  from  the 
same  source  come  flood,  drought,  extreme  heat  and  un- 
timely frost,  pests  and  diseases  of  plant  and  animal, 
hail,  lightning,  and  tornado.  It  is  true  that  in  those 
areas  which  men  have  found  immediately  adaptable  to 
agriculture,  through  a  series  of  years  and  with  respect 
to  most  crops  at  all  suitable  for  given  regions,  "  fair 
crops "  are  quite  certain.  But  for  the  individual 
farmer  or  for  whole  groups  of  farmers  or  for  specified 
crops,  the  uncertainties  of  yield  are  not  only  proverbial 
but  disconcerting,  if  not  serious.      Farmers  do  business 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     229 

on  so  small  a  capital  and  so  slight  a  margin,  that  one 
season's  failure  often  measures  the  difference  between 
success  and  failure  in  the  enterprise.  In  a  country  of 
rapidly  increasing  population  and  cheap  land  a  great 
deal  of  relatively  inferior  land  comes  into  use.  Inevit- 
ably the  farmers  on  this  land  feel  at  times  the  pinch  of 
untoward  circumstances.  The  isolation  of  the  farmer 
as  an  individual  and  of  the  farming  class  as  a  group, 
brings  in  its  train  certain  handicaps  in  the  way  of  inade- 
quate information,  difficulties  in  collective  effort,  sepa- 
rateness  of  interest,  and  sometimes  narrowness  of  out- 
look. 

It  would  be  idle  to  deny  that  some  of  the  farmer's 
troubles  are  due  largely  to  his  own  deficiencies.  Farm- 
ers are  of  all  degrees  of  capacity.  Sheer  ignorance, 
unwarranted  prejudices,  undue  conservatism,  unwilling- 
ness to  cooperate,  unwise  use  of  land,  inferior  business 
management,  mere  poverty  of  neighborhood  life  and 
incentive  due  to  lack  of  vision  and  of  ambition  —  these 
have  all  played  their  part  in  the  drama  of  rural  dis- 
couragement. But  it  is  equally  true  that  farmers  have 
been  subject  to  an  unusual  extent  to  certain  handicaps 
that  arise  from  social  arrangements.  It  is,  for  exam- 
ple, becoming  more  and  more  difficult  for  the  landless 
farmer  to  secure  land  and  requisite  capital  for  the  best 
use  of  land  on  terms  that  give  him  a  fair  chance  for 
eventual  ownership.  The  existing  system  of  distribut- 
ing food  products  from  farm  to  household  is  in  many 
respects  exceedingly  efficient;  it  is  also  in  many  ways 
costly  and  wasteful.  But  the  principal  charge  to  be 
brought  against  it  is  that  it  has  been  organized  entirely 
apart  from  the  interests  of  the  producers,  and  often 
with  the  apparent  purpose  of  deliberately  crowding  the 
farmer  to  terms  that  represent  his  dire  need  rather  than 


230    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

his  just  reward.  In  general  the  present  system  of  dis- 
tribution of  soil-grown  products  is  the  main  handicap 
of  the  American  farmer.  About  this  cluster  many  sub- 
sidiary difficulties.  The  system  also  illustrates  another 
serious  disadvantage.  Farming  originally  was  an  in- 
dividual business.  As  a  producing  factor  it  is  likely  to 
remain  so  to  a  very  large  extent;  but  gradually  the 
farmer's  market  has  come  to  be  a  highly  organized, 
widespread  and  complex  affair.  The  single  farmer 
finds  himself  dealing  in  both  purchase  and  sale  with 
great  combinations  of  men  and  capital,  and  often  in 
competition  with  millions  of  fellow  farmers  similarly 
situated.  His  products  are  bought,  manufactured, 
stored,  transported,  sold  to  jobbers  and  to  retailers, 
and  even  to  ultimate  consumers,  by  powerfully  organ- 
ized agencies.  These  agencies  are  financed  by  banks 
whose  interest  in  the  farmer  is  only  incidental.  The 
place  of  foodstuffs  in  foreign  trade  is  rarely  determined 
by  the  farmers  themselves.  And  a  crowning  handi- 
cap is  that  the  farmer  is  seldom  represented,  even  in- 
directly, in  those  groups  that  determine  governmental, 
business  or  social  arrangements  affecting  his  well-being 
or  in  which  he  has  the  interest  common  to  citizenship 
in  a  democracy.  It  would  be  utterly  misleading  to 
assert  that  the  American  farmer  has  been  neglected  by 
his  government,  but  it  is  perfectly  evident  that  govern- 
ment has  quite  failed  at  two  points.  It  has  not  that 
close  working  contact  with  all  the  interests  of  all  the 
farmers  that  It  should  have,  and  it  has  not  correlated 
even  its  own  activities  into  a  large,  far-sighted,  well  in- 
formed, unified  program  of  endeavor  for  rural  Im- 
provement. 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     231 


THE    NEED   OF   A   NEW   AGRICULTURAL    POLICY 

The  older  policies  in  agricultural  development  must 
give  way  to  a  much  wider  and  far-reaching  effort  to 
lessen  these  handicaps  of  the  farmer.  First  of  all  we 
must  accurately  know  the  handicaps  under  which  the 
farmer  works,  to  what  extent  his  difficulties  are  due  to 
causes  within  or  beyond  his  personal  control,  and  what 
are  due  to  inequities  in  his  relations  with  other  classes 
of  citizens.  We  need  wider  knowledge  of  rural  re- 
sources —  physical,  economic,  social  —  and  how  best 
to  conserve  them.  It  is  vital  to  a  full  rural  develop- 
ment that  the  ends  to  be  attained  shall  be  clearly  stated 
and  universally  understood.  To  rely  for  progress 
merely  upon  the  individual  initiative,  intelligence,  and 
power  of  seven  millions  of  farmers  is  to  court  disaster. 
We  must  invoke  collective  effort.  We  must  use  recog- 
nized social  machinery,  such  as  government  and  vol- 
untary associations.  These  agencies  must  be  efficient 
for  their  purpose  and  loyal  to  rural  interests.  No  one 
agency  can  meet  all  the  needs  of  rural  development. 
Each  must  recognize  and  define  its  peculiar  task  and  be- 
come as  effective  as  possible  for  that  service.  All  rural 
agencies,  all  groups  and  all  individuals  interested  in 
rural  affairs  must  work  together  intelligently  and  fra- 
ternally in  an  effort  to  contribute  each  its  share  to  the 
advancement  of  the  common  aims  of  all. 

All  these  elements  of  a  rural  policy  meet  at  one  com- 
mon point  of  contact,  that  is,  in  a  definite  and  compre- 
hensive program  for  the  fullest  possible  development 
of  American  agriculture  and  country  life.  The  need 
for  such  a  program  was  apparent  before  the  war;  the 
war  has  made  the  need  startlingly  clear.  For  amelior- 
ating natural   handicaps   and   dispelling   ignorance,   as 


232    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

well  as  for  abolishing  unjust  discriminations,  we  need 
all  the  wisdom,  expert  knowledge,  skill,  judgment,  that 
are  available.  We  have  at  present  no  large  unified 
plan  for  making  these  factors  fully  available,  nor  even 
for  determining  the  nature  of  the  problems  involved. 
We  need  therefore  an  American  agricultural  program 
embodying  a  plan  as  big  as  the  problem  and  so  practical 
that  it  may  apply  to  every  region,  every  type  of  farm- 
ing, and  to  substantially  every  need  of  every  farmer. 

A    NEW    STARTING    POINT 

The  war  has  made  clear  the  need  of  a  fundamental 
change  in  the  attitude  of  both  producers  and  consumers 
of  soil-grown  products,  as  well  as  in  the  point  of  view  of 
the  distributing  interests  and  of  government  itself. 
Heretofore  agricultural  questions  seemed  to  revolve 
about  the  need  of  increased  production  as  an  end  in 
itself.  It  was  assumed  that  all  the  soil  produced  would 
be  used.  But  the  arrangements  by  which  America  has 
contributed  its  share  to  the  war-made  demands  for  food 
have  implied  a  direct  relationship  of  an  international 
need  for  food  to  an  international  supply  of  food.  It 
has  become  evident  that  this  relationship  is  not  broken 
as  the  war  closes.  The  problem  of  supplying  the 
world's  food  will  be  one  of  universal  concern.  It  will 
involve  the  reconstruction  of  national  economy  and  of 
international  trade  arrangements.  The  world's  food 
supply  must  therefore  be  the  central  question  about 
which  will  cluster  the  matters  of  more  immediate  con- 
cern to  farmers  —  what  kind  of  food  is  wanted,  how 
much  of  it  and  in  what  form,  where  can  it  best  be  pro- 
duced? The  character  of  national  dietaries  should  be 
determined  on  a  thoroughly  scientific  basis  and  an  effort 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     233 

made  to  educate  consumers  to  intelligent  use  of  food  as 
well  as  the  utmost  effort  to  avoid  waste. 

The  farmer  stands  ready  to  revise  his  plans,  if  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  meet  this  new  departure  in  the  world's 
agriculture.  He  recognizes  the  increasing  degree  in 
which  non-producers  of  food  and  other  soil-grown  prod- 
ucts are  dependent  upon  him.  He  sees  in  this  inde- 
pendence solemn  obligation  laid  upon  him  as  the  trustee 
of  the  soil,  the  steward  of  an  adequate  food  supply. 
He  realizes  his  duty  not  only  to  grow  food,  but  to  grow 
it  with  utmost  economy  and  skill,  and  to  be  mindful  that 
he  does  not  waste  those  resources  of  soil  fertility  which 
are  a  permanent  asset  of  society.  But  the  farmer  In- 
sists that  he  shall  receive  a  fair  return  for  his  capital 
and  labor.  The  demand  for  cheap  food  should  not  be 
carried  so  far  as  to  produce  a  class  of  farmers  who 
suffer  from  wholly  inadequate  incomes.  The  farmer's 
right  to  a  living  wage  is  as  valid  as  that  of  any  one  else. 
Consumers  should  realize  the  economic  conditions  of 
the  profitable  production  of  food;  few  of  them  appre- 
ciate the  unquestioned  fact  that  they  have  been  "  living 
off  the  unrewarded  labor  of  farm  women  and  children." 
While  the  economic  task  of  supplying  the  world  with 
food  must  be  considered  as  a  whole,  the  producers 
should  have  both  full  consideration  and  proper  repre- 
sentation in  all  those  discussions  and  organized  ar- 
rangements that  deal  with  the  problem  as  a  unit  or  with 
any  part  of  it. 

ACCESS    TO    THE    LAND 

A  true  democracy  requires  that  the  man  who  tills  the 
land  shall  control  the  land  he  tills.  Control  involves 
not  merely  the  welfare  of  the  man  who  for  a  brief  time 


234    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

uses  the  land,  but  calls  for  the  best  possible  use  of  the 
land,  the  growing  of  what  consumers  want,  and  the  ut- 
most conservation  of  fertility.  The  economic  freedom 
of  the  soil-tiller  is  not  only  the  first  term  in  a  perma- 
nently efficient  agriculture;  it  is  the  unquestioned  right 
of  the  farmer  as  a  member  of  society.  Any  approach 
to  economic  bondage  is  to  be  deprecated,  as  is  also  any 
arrangement  that  limits  the  activities,  choices,  privi- 
leges or  rewards  of  farmers,  beyond  those  inherent  in  a 
world  of  fallible  men  seeking  self-interest,  but  ready  to 
concede  a  common  interest.  Ownership  of  the  agricul- 
tural land  by  those  who  work  it  is  preferable  to  any 
other  plan.  But  if  for  any  reason  such  a  policy  is  in- 
applicable in  all  cases,  there  should  be  organized  a  sys- 
tem of  leasing  by  which  the  tenant  receives  some  of  the 
advantages  of  ownership  as  well  as  of  its  moral  obliga- 
tions. A  tenant  should  have  an  opportunity  to  secure 
long  lease,  and  should  be  able  legally  to  gain  credit  for 
improvements  he  has  made.  The  pathway  from  ten- 
ancy to  ownership  should  be  made  easy.  There  is  no 
permanent  place  in  America  for  the  absentee  landlord, 
even  if  he  be  a  retired  farmer,  yet  we  must  not  fail  to 
provide  a  career  on  the  land  for  the  man  of  superior 
ability,  the  large  farmer,  provided  he  farms  the  land  he 
owns. 

For  nearly  a  century  the  American  land  policy  has 
been  to  provide  new  land  for  newcomers  at  a  nominal 
or  small  cost.  The  free  land  of  high  quality  is  gone. 
There  are  however  many  millions  of  acres  of  dry,  wet, 
sandy  and  stony  lands  that  can  be  reclaimed  for  use. 
The  farmers  object  to  the  improvement  of  this  unused 
land  until  it  is  actually  needed.  It  would  be  well  to 
make  accurate  and  detailed  studies  of  these  lands;  but 
no  steps  should  be  taken  to  bring  them  into  competi- 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     235 

tion  with  improved  lands  until  the  need  is  clear.  The 
farmers  insist  that  these  improvements,  when  under- 
taken, should  be  performed  by  the  government,  in  or- 
der that  exploitation  for  private  profit  shall  be  elim- 
inated. Essential  features  of  the  development  of  new 
land  should  include  provision  for  the  easy  acquiring  of 
adequate  capital  for  operation  and  the  establishment  of 
effective  machinery  for  satisfactory  marketing  of  prod- 
ucts and  purchase  of  farm  requirements. 

SECURING    CAPITAL 

When  the  new  land  was  all  but  free  and  little  farm 
machinery  was  used,  the  farmer's  capital  was  almost  lit- 
erally his  own  strong  hands  and  active  brain.  But 
present  and  prospective  prices  for  land,  and  the  cost  of 
necessary  improvements  and  machinery,  require  consid- 
erable capital.  Doubtless  the  majority  of  farmers  are 
farming  with  too  little  capital.  Under  modern  condi- 
tions the  securing  of  capital  means  credit.  Until  re- 
cently the  financial  methods  of  the  country  were  not 
geared  to  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  farmer.  The  Farm 
Land  Bank  system  goes  a  long  way  in  the  direction  of 
proper  terms  of  aid;  it  does  not  however  fully  meet  the 
situation,  chiefly  because  it  does  not  and  cannot  aid  the 
tenant  or  laborer  until  he  has  saved  a  substantial  sum; 
this  is  often  hard  to  do.  There  is  a  gulf  here  that 
needs  bridging.  The  only  relief  seems  to  lie  in  a  form 
of  direct  government  loan  to  men  of  approved  charac- 
ter, to  enable  them  to  take  advantage  of  the  Farm  Land 
Bank. 

Moreover  it  takes  more  capital  than  formerly  to 
"  make  "  a  crop,  especially  as  various  forms  of  inten- 
sive farming  increase.  Better  seed,  more  fertilizer, 
better  tillage,  more  labor,  commercial  feeds  for  live- 


236    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

stock  add  to  the  initial  cost.  Many  farmers  are 
obliged  to  borrow  in  order  to  secure  these  require- 
ments, and  the  loan  usually  takes  the  form  of  mercantile 
or  "  store  "  credit.  Unfortunately,  there  are  thou- 
sands of  farmers  who  are  obliged  to  seek  similar  credit 
during  the  crop-growing  season  for  household  supplies. 
Mercantile  credit  at  its  worst  is  sheer  robbery,  and 
even  at  its  best  has  two  serious  drawbacks.  Actual 
interest  charges  are  likely  to  be  high,  if  not  exorbitant, 
and  are  elusive  because  hidden  in  the  price.  Pressure 
for  payment  tends  to  compel  the  grower  to  sell  his  prod- 
uct at  the  bidding  of  his  creditor  —  almost  inevitably 
to  the  farmer's  disadvantage.  Our  farmers  should 
have  a  system  that  suits  the  need  for  short  term  credit 
for  making  crops  to  best  advantage. 

In  all  forms  of  credit  to  farmers  two  principles 
should  be  more  fully  recognized  by  farmers  themselves, 
by  bankers  and  by  the  government:  The  great  possi- 
bilities of  capitalizing  character,  by  which  a  man's  in- 
dustry and  integrity  become  a  substantial  collateral  for 
loans;  and  the  financial  power  of  the  collective  assets 
of  a  community  of  farmers,  once  all  its  members  are 
willing  to  share  in  a  common  financial  responsibility. 

There  is  a  form  of  assistance  to  farmers,  of  vastly 
increasing  importance,  theoretically  belonging  partly  in 
the  domain  of  natural  resources  and  being  partly  a  mat- 
ter of  credit,  while  practically  it  involves  the  efficiency 
of  government.  The  use  by  farmers  of  various  forms 
of  mechanical  power  is  destined  to  be  a  large  factor 
in  their  enterprise.  Public  control  of  water,  not  merely 
for  irrigation  but  also  for  power,  is  indispensable. 
The  use  of  electricity  on  the  farm  and  for  the  develop- 
ment of  community  manufactures  and  similar  services, 
must  not  be  dependent  upon  the  accidents  of  corporate 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     237 

convenience.  Collective  methods  of  handling  this 
question  by  farming  communities  will  prove  economical 
but  must  have  legislative  encouragement. 

FARM    LABOR 

The  use  of  machinery  decreases  the  need  for  farm 
labor  but  does  not  eliminate  it;  and  it  increases  the  de- 
mand for  skilled  labor.  The  call  for  labor  in  other 
industries,  with  apparently  higher  wages,  shorter  hours 
and  more  sociable  conditions  of  life,  competes  most 
seriously  with  the  farm.  Farm  boys  are  longer  in 
school  than  formerly  and  we  would  not  have  it  other- 
wise. Neither  are  we  prepared  to  urge  a  large  use  of 
woman's  labor  on  the  land  as  a  permanent  feature. 
The  seasonal  need  for  labor  on  all  but  stock  farms  is 
another  difficulty.  Altogether,  the  farm  labor  prob- 
lem is  perhaps  the  most  serious  which  the  farmer  must 
face. 

Some  remedies  seem  clear  enough,  but  how  to  secure 
actual  relief  is  another  matter.  Evidently,  as  a  prin- 
ciple, the  farmer  must  gain  access  to  the  world's  labor 
and  procure  his  share  of  it.  To  do  this,  he  must  pay 
such  wages  and  grant  such  terms  as  will  make  him  a 
competitor  with  other  industries.  The  housing  and 
other  living  conditions  of  the  laborer  must  be  in  keeping 
with  modern  requirements  for  comfort,  convenience 
and  health.  More  machinery  must  be  used  for  more 
purposes.  Skilled  and  even  trained  farm  labor  must 
prevail.  All  this  requires  such  prices  for  his  products 
that  the  farmer  can  afford  the  necessary  labor  cost. 
Ideally  it  implies  also  a  transient  farm  labor  group, 
whose  members,  skilled,  intelligent  and  ambitious,  will 
rapidly  pass  up  to  tenantry  and  ownership  of  land. 
This   problem   can   be   met   only   as   the   government, 


238    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

cooperating  with  powerful  associations  of  farmers, 
shall  study  this  difficulty  thoroughly  and  seek  to  handle 
it  in  terms  of  some  large,  nation-wide  policy. 

PROBLEMS   OF   PRODUCTION 

The  character  of  the  problems  which  confront  the 
farmer  in  his  work  of  producing  crops  and  animals  is 
fairly  well  understood.  The  farmers  themselves  have 
been  on  the  whole  keen  to  improve  methods  and  they 
have  had  far  more  aid  from  scientists  in  this  field  than 
in  any  other.  Preparing  the  soil,  cultivating,  fertiliz- 
ing, adapting  it  to  certain  plants;  increasing  crop  yields 
and  improving  quality  by  seed  selection;  seeking  better 
varieties;  constant  improvement  of  farm  animals  by 
breeding,  feeding  and  attention  to  health;  protecting 
both  crops  and  animals  against  diseases  and  pests  —  we 
are  dealing  with  all  these  needs.  The  requirements  of 
the  future  are  a  greatly  enlarged  and  better  correlated 
national  system  of  research  into  fundamental  scientific 
principles,  a  wiser  and  more  wide-spread  testing  of  the- 
ories in  actual  farm  practice  on  a  commercial  scale,  and 
far  better  organized  educational  "  drives  "  or  "  pro- 
jects "  for  bringing  not  only  the  mind  but  also  the  will 
of  the  farmers  to  practice  the  best  methods. 

FARM    MANAGEMENT 

Farming,  even  to-day  and  by  great  masses  of  farm- 
ers, is  thought  of  chiefly  as  growing  crops  and  animals. 
Only  slowly  have  we  come  to  realize  that  the  good 
farmer  is  actually  not  only  a  skillful  handler  of  soil, 
plant  and  animal,  but  that  he  is  also  a  good  manager. 
Genuine  business  skill,  executive  ability,  the  power  to 
organize  all  the  factors  of  the  farm  into  a  unity,  prob- 
ably are  far  more  important  than  any  other  one  ele- 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     239 

ment.  Failure  here  is  much  more  frequent  than  poor 
practice.  Most  unsuccessful  farmers  cannot  manage. 
Such  questions  as  size  of  farm,  amount  of  capital 
needed,  laying  out  of  the  farm  itself,  kind  and  conven- 
ience of  buildings,  saving  motions  in  labor  operations, 
filling  in  idle  hours,  keeping  of  accounts,  economical 
buying  and  skillful  selling,  wise  reinvestments  of  profits 
—  these  are  matters  too  much  neglected  by  many  farm- 
ers. An  adequate  system  of  investigation  and  popular 
education  is  called  for. 

THE    DISTRIBUTION    PROBLEM 

Here  we  reach  the  real  core  of  the  farm  problem  on 
its  business  side.  Frequently  a  farmer  finds  a  whole 
season's  labor  gone  for  naught,  because  he  must  sell  at 
a  price  that  barely  meets  the  expenditures  for  mere 
growing  of  the  crop.  He  has  little  voice  in  establish- 
ing the  price.  There  are  two  fundamental  difficulties 
which  the  farmer  faces.  The  price  of  his  products  is 
determined  largely  by  variations  in  the  supply  due 
mainly  to  the  weather  and  to  fluctuations  in  acreage. 
Then,  again,  the  individual  farmer  sells  and  buys  in 
organized  markets.  He  pits  himself  against  combina- 
tions of  men  and  capital,  and  his  struggle  is  futile. 
Production  is  a  matter  of  the  individual  farm  and  the 
amount  is  negligible  in  any  market.  He  may  have 
neither  knowledge,  skill  nor  facilities  for  meeting  the 
requirements  of  the  market  as  to  condition  and  form  of 
product.  The  small  farmer  cannot  sort,  grade,  pack, 
store  or  transport  to  advantage.  It  happens,  there- 
fore, that  the  price  he  gets  may  have  no  relation  what- 
ever to  cost  of  production;  often  it  has  no  relation  to 
true   market   values. 

It  has  been  the  habit  of  farmers  for  many  years  to 


240    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

charge  their  disappointments  in  marketing  to  the  mid- 
dleman. Even  the  complete  abolition  of  middlemen  is 
advocated  as  a  prime  remedy.  Rascally  or  incompe- 
tent handlers  of  farmers'  products  there  have  been  a 
plenty.  Doubtless  there  are  too  many  distributing 
agencies.  But  middlemen  are  indispensable;  they  have 
a  real  economic  function. 

Transportation  obviously  plays  a  vital  part  In  the 
marketing  of  farm  products.  Poor  highways  have  cost 
and  are  costing  our  farmers  millions  of  dollars.  Rail- 
way freight  charges  have  frequently  been  purely  arbi- 
trary, bearing  slight  relations  to  cost  of  service. 
Farmers  living  near  a  large  market  are  obliged  to  pay 
as  much  for  transporting  their  products  as  Is  paid  by  the 
grower  In  a  far  distant  place.  Over-competition  be- 
tween different  farm  regions  has  resulted.  The  reshlp- 
ment  of  both  raw  and  manufactured  farm  products  has 
built  up  transportation  charges  enormous  In  the  aggre- 
gate. 

The  farmers  demand,  therefore,  a  thorough  reor- 
ganization of  the  entire  business  of  selling  farm  prod- 
ucts, In  the  Interests  of  both  the  farmers  and  the  con- 
sumers. There  should  be  full  standardization  and  the 
utmost  economy  in  all  the  processes  of  marketing. 
Harvesting,  collecting,  grading,  packing,  storing,  trans- 
porting, and  city  distributing  should  be  submitted  to 
well-organized  and  efficiently  managed  enterprises.  A 
well-planned  effort  should  be  Inaugurated  to  adapt  each 
natural  agricultural  area  to  its  best  possible  uses.  To 
such  an  extent  as  Is  practicable,  consuming  centers,  even 
large  villages  and  small  cities,  should  be  provided  with 
their  food  products  from  the  farms  adjacent.  The  lo- 
cal manufacture  or  other  preparation  of  farm  products 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     241 

should  be  encouraged  as  a  possible  economy  in  trans- 
portation. 

For  these  ends,  we  must  rely  first  of  all  upon  existing 
agencies.  The  present  machinery  of  preparation  and 
distribution  of  soil-grown  products  should  if  possible  be 
socialized,  made  to  serve  more  fully  the  mutual  interest 
of  producers  and  consumers.  Those  private  establish- 
ments that  deal  with  the  slaughter  and  distribution  of 
meat  products;  grain  elevators  and  mills;  cotton  gins; 
sugar  factories;  and  all  other  converters  of  farm  prod- 
ucts into  forms  for  consumption ;  storage  and  ware- 
house concerns;  commission  men  and  all  wholesale  and 
retail  distributors  must  bend  to  the  demand  for  service 
in  the  public  interest.  The  farmer  insists  that  the  nor- 
mal and  legitimate  machinery  of  the  market  shall  not  be 
prostituted  to  merely  speculative  or  gambling  methods. 

It  is  beyond  question  that  such  ends  can  be  gained 
only  by  intelligent,  fair,  but  rigid  control  by  adequate 
law  and  administrative  rule.  It  may  also  require  a 
measure  of  government  ownership  and  management. 
The  American  farmer  will  not  ask  government  for  this 
service  if  it  can  be  given  through  private  agencies. 
But  he  will  insist  that  it  be  given.  And  if  the  aid  of 
government  must  be  invoked,  he  will  not  be  deterred 
from  his  demands  by  fears  of  any  theory  of  social  or- 
ganization. He  wants  fair  dealing,  substantial  justice 
in  this  realm  where  his  very  existence  is  at  stake. 

COLLECTIVE    BARGAINING   AMONG    FARMERS 

Farmers  are  coming  to  realize  more  keenly  that  in 
the  long  run,  the  responsibility  for  a  reasonable  finan- 
cial return  for  their  labor  depends  upon  themselves 
rather  than  upon  the  attitude  of  other  interests  or  upon 


242    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

government  itself.  The  individual  farmer  is  well-nigh 
helpless  in  dealing  with  a  world-market.  But  the  col- 
lective business  power  of  seven  million  farmers,  intel- 
ligently and  fairly  applied,  is  almost  irresistible. 

The  independent  farmer  has  preferred  to  bargain 
for  himself.  In  the  old  days,  and  in  some  cases  even 
now,  this  was  advantageous.  But  as  a  rule  the  farmer 
has  no  chance  to  make  a  good  bargain.  It  is  only  as 
he  shares  with  a  group  of  fellow  farmers  the  responsi- 
bilities of  proper  preparation  of  products  for  market, 
and  participates  in  the  pooling  of  sufficient  quantities  to 
constitute  a  unit  of  product  large  enough  to  attract  at- 
tention on  the  market,  that  he  becomes  relatively  inde- 
pendent. Only  then  has  he  any  chance  to  make  a  real 
bargain,  a  fair  trade.  No  legislation  designed  to  con- 
trol corporations  dealing  in  farm  products,  no  aid,  sub- 
sidy or  other  form  of  governmental  enterprise,  how- 
ever necessary  and  useful,  can  take  the  place  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  wide-spread  organization  of  producing 
farmers  into  groups  fitted  to  buy,  sell  and  otherwise  to 
do  business  cooperatively. 

It  becomes  necessary  then  for  the  American  farmer 
to  move  rapidly  toward  such  a  form  of  effort  as  will 
enable  him  to  join  hands  with  his  fellows  in  all  legiti- 
mate and  reasonable  methods  of  collective  bargaining. 
National  and  state  legislation  should  not  only  fully  rec- 
ognize but  frankly  encourage  this  method  of  associa- 
tion. Agricultural  colleges  and  schools  should  inves- 
tigate and  teach  the  best  methods  of  business  coopera- 
tion in  agriculture.  Government  agencies  should  be 
provided  to  assist  by  advice,  information,  law  enforce- 
ment and,  if  necessary,  by  advances  on  stored  products. 
Government  should  ensure  a  free  field  for  cooperative 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION    243 

effort  among  farmers  and  prevent  discrim'nation  by 
railways,  middlemen  or  others. 

AGRICULTURAL   INSURANCE   OR   STABILIZATION 

Great  variations  occur  from  year  to  year  both  in 
amount  of  farm  products  and  in  their  market  value. 
Diseases  and  pests,  "  bad  "  weather,  climatic  catastro- 
phes, speculation  in  food  products,  forced  sales  due  to 
inadequate  capital,  market  gluts,  all  play  their  part  in 
this  unstability.  An  adequate  program  of  rural  recon- 
struction requires  the  consideration  of  the  feasibility  of 
establishing  stabilizing  influences  and  devices  that  will 
tend  to  reduce  the  element  of  mere  chance  in  the  food- 
producing  process.  Such  a  movement  is  in  the  interest 
of  consumers  as  well  as  producers.  There  should  be 
an  effort,  through  government  aid  and  supervision,  and 
partly  by  large  cooperative  associations  of  farmers 
themselves,  to  secure  the  adjustment  of  acreages  to  de- 
mand. Government  should  also  encourage  regional 
self-support  in  certain  products;  crop  insurance  against 
diseases,  pests,  hail,  drought,  wind,  lightning,  frost, 
flood,  and  animal  insurance;  more  opportunities  for 
short  term  credit  for  purchasing  supplies  needed  in 
high-grade  production;  advances  to  farmers  in  products 
in  storage;  progressive  release  of  stocks  as  needed  by 
the  market;  full  market  news  service. 

AGRICULTURE    IN    INTERNATIONAL   TRADE 

The  interests  of  the  American  farmer  not  only  call 
for  an  adjustment  of  his  business  to  the  world's  demand 
for  products  of  the  soil,  but  require  such  an  adjustment 
of  all  the  parts  of  trade  relations  among  nations  as 
shall  be  just  to  him.     It  is  fundamental  that  in  every 


244    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

country  agriculture  shall  be  regarded  as  a  primary  in- 
dustry, to  be  as  fully  cherished  and  protected  as  any 
other  industry.  Elementary  economic  principles,  how- 
ever, assert  the  unwisdom  of  carrying  this  process  so 
far  as  to  seek  complete  national  independence  in  soil- 
grown  products.  It  is  perhaps  possible  for  each  coun- 
try to  feed  itself,  but  is  it  wise  for  it  to  do  so?  The 
world's  food  should  be  grown  where  it  can  be  grown  to 
best  advantage  to  the  world  as  a  whole.  If  manufac- 
tured goods  are  sold  in  countries  largely  agricultural, 
they  must  be  paid  for  chiefly  in  farm  products,  which  in 
turn  must  compete  with  those  grown  at  home.  Ex- 
change of  goods  among  nations  makes  for  economic 
prosperity  as  well  as  for  permanent  peace.  The  Amer- 
ican farmer  is  willing  to  cooperate  in  a  world  system  of 
fair  trade.  But  he  insists  that  agriculture  must  be  fully 
considered  in  all  international  trade  arrangements.  It 
is  merely  justice  that  proposals  for  tariffs,  subsidies, 
preferential  arrangements  should  be  made  only  after 
thorough  study  has  revealed  their  prospective  bearings 
upon  American  agriculture,  and  only  with  the  consent 
of  the  American  farmer 

AN    ADEQUATE    SYSTEM   OF    RURAL    EDUCATION 

The  United  States  has  been  singularly  alert  in  the 
development  of  plans  for  agricultural  education.  The 
federal  Department  of  Agriculture,  the  great  sister- 
hood of  state  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  sta- 
tions, and  the  wonderful  system  of  extension  education 
just  now  evolving  through  the  cooperation  of  these 
agencies  with  the  county  farm  bureaus,  comprise  a 
scheme  of  educational  activities  on  behalf  of  the  farmer 
unapproached  elsewhere  in  the  world.  Yet  we  have 
not  secured  all  that  we  need.     The  farmer  himself  has 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION    245 

abundant  faith  in  education  as  a  solvent  of  his  diffi- 
culties, and  he  demands  that  agricultural  education  shall 
not  only  be  completely  democratized  and  adapted  to  the 
last  man  on  the  land,  but  that  it  shall  be  as  broad  in  its 
content  as  the  entire  range  of  the  rural  problem. 
There  should  be  in  the  early  future  a  very  large  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  agricultural  schools.  Even- 
tually, these  schools,  meeting  the  needs  of  boys  from 
14  to  18  years  of  age  and  designed  chiefly  as  finishing 
schools,  must  be  relied  upon  to  furnish  the  big  majority 
of  school-trained  farmers.  The  control  or  regulatory 
tasks  in  agricultural  enterprises  carried  on  by  the  state 
should  be  more  carefully  separated  from  its  educa- 
tional work.  The  agricultural  colleges  cannot  fulfill 
their  true  mission  to  American  farmers  unless  they  seek 
and  secure  a  vast  enlargement  of  both  their  investiga- 
tional and  teaching  work  in  the  realms  of  the  economic 
and  social  problems  of  agriculture.  The  present  di- 
vided administrative  responsibilities  for  schemes  of 
agricultural  education  should  be  coordinated  in  some 
fashion,  so  that  we  may  have  a  truly  national  system  of 
agricultural  education.  At  present  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
the  federal  and  state  boards  of  vocational  education, 
the  agricultural  colleges,  state  commissioners  or  boards 
of  education,  county  farm  bureaus,  local  public  school 
authorities,  and  in  some  cases  independent  agricultural 
schools,  are  all  involved  in  managing  educational  en- 
terprises on  behalf  of  agriculture.  They  should  be 
brought  into  the  closest  cooperation.  The  system  as 
a  unit  must  make  its  utmost  contribution  to  the  solution 
of  all  phases  of  the  rural  problem.  It  must  do  all  that 
education  can  do  for  the  farmer.  A  i^reat  degree  of 
centralization  is  necessary  with  regard  to  a  large  gen- 


246    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

eral  policy  in  research,  in  relating  parts  of  the  system  to 
one  another  and  to  the  whole,  and  particularly  in  ex- 
tension teaching.  But  bureaucratic  methods  should  be 
avoided  and  the  widest  liberty  recognized  as  a  right  of 
the  local  establishment. 

The  rural  school  system  needs  a  complete  overhaul- 
ing. First  of  all,  we  should  have  a  national  rural 
school  policy  and  program,  formulated  by  educators  in 
close  sympathy  with  rural  affairs,  but  with  the  approval 
of  representative  farmers.  In  most  states  a  larger 
measure  of  state  aid  for  small  schools  will  be  found 
necessary.  The  American  farmer  believes  in  the  es- 
sential justice  of  the  dictum,  "  All  the  wealth  of  the 
state  must  be  available  for  the  education  of  all  the  chil- 
dren in  the  state."  The  country  child  is  entitled  to  as 
good  an  education  as  the  city  child.  We  may  find  that 
appropriations  from  the  federal  treasury  are  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  adequate  state  support  and  full  recog- 
nition of  rural  school  needs.  There  is  little  doubt  that 
the  consolidated  school  offers  manifest  advantages  over 
the  traditional  one-room  district  school  and  should  soon 
become  the  prevailing  type  of  rural  school.  Better 
paid  and  better  trained  teachers,  greater  permanence  of 
tenure  of  teaching,  closer  and  more  consistent  super- 
vision, redirection  of  studies  to  meet  the  peculiar  needs 
of  rural  pupils,  are  essential  to  efficiency.  One  of  the 
most  serious  defects  In  our  rural  school  system  Is  the 
lack  of  good  high  schools.  Provision  should  also  be 
made  for  continuation  or  part  time  schools.  More- 
over, the  schools  should  be  used  as  centers  for  adult 
study  through  lecture  courses,  reading  clubs,  study 
clubs,  correspondence  courses;  they  should  minister  to  a 
great  advance  of  solid  study  and  thinking  among  the 
farmers  and  their   families,   not  only  on   agricultural 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     247 

themes,  but  in  the  fields  of  citizenship  and  of  literature 
and  art.  The  entire  farming  community  should  be  per- 
petually at  school. 

The  function  of  education  in  a  rural  democracy 
should  be  conceived  in  no  narrowly  vocational  or  ma- 
terialistic spirit.  The  making  of  more  efficient  farm- 
ers is  one  great  end  to  keep  in  view,  but  it  is  only  a  part 
of  the  need.  Farm  bred  boys  and  girls  must  have  the 
same  chance  to  secure  an  adequate  education  for  city 
occupations  that  they  should  have  to  study  agriculture. 
City  bred  boys  and  girls  should  have  the  chance  to  learn 
farming  if  they  care  to.  There  must  be  no  class  or 
caste  lines  developed  by  our  educational  system.  Un- 
derstanding of  the  entire  farm  problem,  appreciation  of 
the  importance  of  a  satisfying  country  life,  love  of  the 
land,  a  sense  of  the  farmer's  duties  as  well  as  his  rights, 
delight  in  good  literature,  clearness  of  thinking  about 
all  the  problems  of  democracy  at  home  and  abroad  — 
these  should  be  the  fruit  of  a  well-planned  system  of 
rural  education.  Leaders,  too,  must  be  trained  for 
rural  service.  Agricultural  experts  must  be  educated 
and  given  a  place  to  work.  A  rural  democracy  can  be 
efficient  and  free  only  through  education. 

THE    VOICE    OF    AGRICULTURE 

One  of  the  most  enduring  results  of  an  adequate 
system  of  rural  education  should  be  seen  in  the  increas- 
ing ability  of  the  farmers  to  maintain  their  ground  in 
all  those  councils  in  which  their  interests  are  discussed 
and  decided.  It  should  be  a  fundamental  principle  that 
no  state  or  national  legislation,  no  project  of  a  pub- 
licly supported  agency  involving  the  cooperation  or  the 
larger  interests  of  the  farmers,  no  enterprise  in- 
augurated by  associations  of  a  general  business  or  urban 


248    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

character,  should  be  launched  until  authorized  repre- 
sentatives of  the  farmers  have  been  consulted.  A  huge 
scheme  for  reclaiming  great  areas  of  new  agricultural 
land  involves  added  competition.  Laws  taxing  land 
improvements  put  a  burden  upon  thrift  and  tax  pro- 
ductive power.  Even  the  legitimate  organization  of 
labor  may  disregard  the  farmer's  welfare.  If  the  com- 
monwealth deems  social  amelioration  to  be  sound  pol- 
icy, it  should  be  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  farmers. 
The  extension  or  restriction  of  foreign  trade  affects 
agriculture  profoundly.  Consumers  of  food  have  a 
right  to  cooperate  in  order  to  save  in  purchase  price, 
but  they  should  understand  the  terms  of  a  fair  bargain 
with  food  producers.  Right-minded  farmers  welcome 
the  aid  of  the  individuals  and  associations  of  the  cities, 
but  resent  condescension  or  philanthropy — "benevo- 
lent urbanism."  If  there  should  be  a  struggle  between 
a  demand  for  cheap  food  and  the  resulting  danger  of 
putting  cheap  men  on  the  land,  the  interests  of  farm  as 
well  as  of  the  nation  as  a  whole  would  be  against  too 
cheap  food.  Farmers  cannot  afford  to  agree  to  a 
scheme  that  brings  into  activity  more  producers  of 
food  than  are  needed  or  that  causes  loss  of  profits  to 
those  already  on  farms.  Under  a  system  of  utmost 
economy  in  food  distribution,  the  farmer  must  share  the 
gain  with  the  consumer.  The  country  village  and 
small  city  must  cease  to  exploit  the  farmers  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Immigration  laws  must  consider 
the  country  as  well  as  the  city.  These  are  but  a  few  of 
the  many  interests  of  the  American  farmer  that  are 
habitually  disregarded,  usually  in  sheer  ignorance 
rather  than  of  intent,  but  largely  because  the  farmers 
do  not  have  authoritative  spokesmen  in  close  touch 
with  the  men  and  the  agencies  that  determine  policies 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     249 

in  fields  of  effort  that  involve   agricultural  interests. 

But  it  is  not  alone  with  respect  to  his  own  interests 
that  the  American  farmer  needs  a  place  at  the  council- 
table.  Rural  public  opinion  should  share  in  national 
and  even  international  affairs.  The  farmer  should 
speak  his  views  concerning  the  need  and  terms  of 
permanent  world  peace,  the  policies  of  trade  and  of 
treaties,  all  economic,  political  and  social  arrangements. 
He  is  an  organic  part  of  the  structure  of  society.  His 
is  the  most  numerous  class.  His  views,  his  ideals,  his 
ways  of  thinking  should  have  full  weight  in  the  common 
concerns  of  all  mankind.  A  full  democracy  cannot 
develop  unless  the  farmer  makes  his  special  contribu- 
tion, and  this  he  can  not  do  if  he  is  voiceless  in  the 
counsels  of  democracy. 

There  are  two  main  channels  through  which  must 
ebb  and  flow  the  tides  of  rural  endeavor  both  in  assist- 
ing farmers  to  solve  their  particular  problems  and  in 
receiving  from  farmers  their  special  contribution  to 
the  world's  welfare.  One  is  government,  including 
legislation  as  well  as  all  those  agencies  of  regulation 
and  education  that  receive  public  support;  the  other  is 
mutual  association,  by  which  farmers  band  themselves 
into  groups  large  and  small  for  their  common  welfare. 

THE    GOVERNMENT    AND    AGRICULTURE 

It  is  maintained  by  some  students  that  there  is  an 
increasing  tendency  among  all  people  to  regard  govern- 
ment or  the  state  as  a  sort  of  huge  person  that  stands 
out  apart  from  people  as  individuals.  This  person 
has  great  power,  makes  Its  own  morality,  must  be 
obeyed.  Sometimes  this  Idea  is  carried  so  far  that  the 
state  assumes  a  morality  of  Its  own,  denying  the  appli- 
cation to  its  acts  of  the  laws  of  personal  righteousness; 


250    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

on  the  other  hand  Individuals  may  cheat  the  state  if 
they  can.  But  what  seems  to  be  a  better  conception  of 
government  is  that  it  is  simply  all  of  us  together  seek- 
ing through  common  activities  the  highest  good  of  all. 
Compulsion  may  be  necessary  as  a  means  of  securing 
the  support  of  the  thoughtless,  the  ignorant  and  the 
willful.  tJut  the  essential  idea  is  one  of  common  ac- 
tion for  the  common  good.  Laws  are  merely  expres- 
sions of  the  common  will  for  the  common  wealth  and 
the  common  welfare.  It  seems  clear  that  a  true  democ- 
racy must  hold  firmly  to  the  idea  of  government  that 
regards  it  as  merely  one  of  the  ways  in  which  people 
act  together  for  mutual  interests. 

This  distinction  in  attitude  toward  government  is 
vital.  Inhere  Is  much  discussion  about  what  govern- 
ment should  do  and  should  not  do.  If  government  is 
a  superman,  a  separate  power,  something  above  and 
beyond  the  all-of-us-together,  then  we  may  well  insist 
on  limitations  to  its  activities  and  requirements.  But 
if  it  is  truly  the  rule  of  the  people  Its  activities  are  to  be 
judged  purely  by  their  effectiveness.  We  are  not  to 
urge  that  government  do  this  or  do  that  merely  because 
we  have  a  blind  faith  In  some  superior  wisdom  residing 
in  the  state;  nor  do  we  refuse  to  ask  government  to  do 
other  things  merely  because  we  fear  socialism  or  any 
other  "  ism,"  There  are  but  two  questions  to  be  an- 
swered when  governmental  activities  are  up  for  con- 
sideration: (i)  On  the  whole  is  governmental  ac- 
tivity—  whether  law  or  regulation  or  management  or 
actual  ownership  —  most  effective  in  gaining  the  ends 
which  the  people  really  want  and  need?  and  (2)  in  the 
longer  view  does  this  activity  make  the  people  them- 
selves stronger  or  weaker  in  foresight,  judgment.  Ini- 
tiative and  general  Intelligence? 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION    251 

If  this  view  of  government  is  truly  the  democratic 
view,  then  what  such  a  government  shall  do  for  agri- 
culture and  country  life  must  meet  the  tests  of  these 
two  questions  just  asked.  The  answers  vary  from  dec- 
ade to  decade.  What  may  be  well  for  government  to 
do  to-day  may  perhaps  better  be  left  to-morrow  to 
mutual  associations.  In  the  immediate  future,  in  the 
days  of  reconstruction  that  must  follow  the  close  of 
the  great  war,  certain  demands  upon  government  may 
fairly  be  made  by  the  American  farmer. 

Government  may  well  foster  agriculture  to  the  ut- 
termost. The  food  supply  is  fundamental.  F'ood  is 
now  produced  and  will  always  be  produced  by  a  vast 
number  of  small,  more  or  less  scattered  producers. 
Self-help  through  associated  effort  is  more  difficult  for 
this  group  than  with  any  other  large  class  of  people. 
Government  can  not  remain  indifferent  to  the  needs  of 
agriculture.  It  might  well  be  justified  in  doing  more 
for  agriculture  than  for  any  other  industry. 

Emphasis  has  already  been  laid  upon  the  need  for  an 
enlarged  and  more  systematic  scheme  of  rural  educa- 
tion. Education  must  be  defined  in  a  very  broad  way, 
to  include  all  efforts,  however  informal,  to  reach  the 
working  farmer.  Far  greater  attention  must  be  paid 
to  the  extent  and  type  of  information  that  is  spread 
among  the  farmers.  If  we  are  to  have  an  effective 
agricultural  program,  we  must  enlist  the  farmers  — 
all  farmers  if  possible.  They  can  not  blindly  cooper- 
ate in  or  even  subscribe  to  policies.  They  want  to 
know  both  facts  and  principles  concerning  all  parts  of 
their  complicated  problem.  It  is  not  enough  to  teach 
the  care  of  soil  and  plant  and  animal.  The  principles 
and  practice  of  farm  management,  ample  facts  con- 
cerning prices,  markets,  food  demand  and  supply,  the 


252    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

best  type  of  machinery,  in  fine  all  the  economic  and 
community  problems  are  of  supreme  importance.  Gov- 
ernment should  deliberately  encourage  discussion 
among  farmers  of  the  larger  phases  of  rural  policy  — 
the  laws  of  diminishing  returns  and  of  land  rent,  re- 
gional competition  in  products,  international  relation- 
ships in  food  supply,  the  big  factors  in  soil  conservation. 
The  publicly  supported  educational  agencies  in  a  de- 
mocracy can  not  fail  to  carry  the  farmers  as  a  class  to 
a  fuller  knowledge  and  keener  understanding  of  the  big 
as  well  as  the  small  questions  involved  in  a  sound  pro- 
gram of  rural  development. 

Legislation  is  the  only  way  by  which  the  government 
can  carry  out  its  objects.  The  kind  of  laws  affecting 
agriculture  which  are  enacted  by  the  nation  and  the 
states,  is  of  greatest  moment.  These  laws  will  be 
numerous  and  will  change  with  changing  needs.  But 
certain  principles  may  be  insisted  upon.  There  should 
be  laws  encouraging  to  the  greatest  possible  extent  col- 
lective bargaining  or  cooperative  business  methods 
among  the  farmers.  The  farmers  cannot  complain 
of  reasonable  laws  restricting  their  activities  —  as  in- 
spection of  dairies  —  in  the  interest  of  consumers,  pro- 
vided there  is  equally  effective  protection  against  un- 
friendly and  unfair  dealings.  The  farmers'  interest 
in  taxation,  tariffs  and  other  trade  regulations,  mone- 
tary systems,  and  in  fact  all  economic  and  social  legis- 
lation is  fundamental  and  not  to  be  disregarded.  It 
may  be  found  impossible  at  times  for  farmers  to  get 
"  a  square  deal  "  in  business,  even  when  they  are  well 
organized.  In  such  event  there  should  he  no  hesita- 
tion on  the  part  of  government  to  provide  at  public 
expense  those  facilities  —  such  as  public  markets,  ele- 
vators,    storages  —  that     private     management     has 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     253 

abused.  Interstate  and  international  arrangements  af- 
fecting farmers  must  of  course  be  made  by  the  federal 
government.  Land  development  projects,  if  under 
private  auspices,  should  be  regulated  in  the  public  in- 
terest. The  exploitation  of  would-be  settlers  should 
never  be  permitted;  if  necessary,  the  government  itself 
should  control  absolutely  the  redemption  of  unused 
lands  and  their  sale  to  farmers.  Local  government  in 
rural  areas  is  capable  of  greater  efficiency  and  particu- 
larly may  enlarge  in  functions  for  the  public  good. 

While  laws  lie  back  of  all  governmental  activity,  as 
public  agencies  multiply  and  enlarge,  administrative 
rules  and  policies  increase  in  importance.  The  ques- 
tion of  administrative  efficiency  therefore  becomes  of 
prime  consequence.  Unless  able,  well-trained,  honest 
and  far-visioned  men  are  in  control  of  public  agencies 
and  are  encouraged  and  aided  by  the  farmers  them- 
selves, governmental  effort  must  necessarily  be  weak, 
and  ineffective.  These  officials  must  have  a  measure 
of  freedom  as  well  as  of  responsibility.  Petty  restric- 
tions of  a  clerical  sort  cost  terribly  in  real  efficiency. 

The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  with 
its  cooperating  allies,  the  agricultural  colleges  and  the 
county  farm  bureaus,  has  become  a  gigantic  institution. 
Its  responsibility  for  leadership  is  as  great  as  its  size. 
It  should  assist  the  farmers  to  determine  policies.  It 
should  keep  men  in  all  countries  studying  tendencies  and 
methods.  It  may  well  seek  to  secure  unity  of  effort  on 
behalf  of  big  projects  of  improvement. 

Government  has  its  limitations.  These  should  be 
frankly  recognized  and  so  far  as  possible  removed. 
The  tendency  is  for  the  methods  of  government  to  be- 
come bureaucratic,  dilatory,  inflexible,  unadaptable. 
Laws  themselves  are  often  unwisely  drawn,  and  limit 


254    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

the  action  of  administrative  officers.  There  is  a  neces- 
sity for  a  certain  amount  of  system,  order,  precedent 
and  rule,  but  these  easily  degenerate  into  mere  machin- 
ery. Laws  have  to  be  interpreted,  often  by  men  with- 
out insight  into  the  need  of  the  farmer  or  even  the  true 
intent  of  the  lawmakers.  The  personnel  of  responsible 
government  officials  changes.  New  men  may  bring 
new  ideas,  but  may  also  have  faulty  ideas  and  inade- 
quate training  or  a  limited  point  of  view.  Moreover, 
no  public  agent  can  speak  permanently  and  fully  for  the 
farmers  in  a  democracy.  His  words  may  be  wise,  his 
intent  honest,  and  his  judgment  sound,  but  he  does  not 
fully  represent  the  farmer.  Excessive  governmental 
activity  and  constant  dependence  upon  government  may 
check  initiative  and  real  power.  There  are  important 
fields  that  no  government  institutions  can  cultivate  — 
for  example,  the  desire  of  farmers  to  take  political  ac- 
tion, and  the  sway  of  the  religious  motive. 

AGRARIAN    ASSOCIATIONS 

After  all  the  farmers  must  direct  their  own  destinies. 
The  best  service  that  government  can  render  farmers 
is  to  help  them  to  help  themselves.  The  paternalism 
of  the  state  and  the  gratuitous  benevolence  of  the  city 
are  equally  futile  in  the  building  of  a  rural  democracy. 
The  cooperative  efforts  of  farmers  are  indispensable  to 
real  rural  progress.  Whether  in  securing  better  farm 
practice,  or  in  obtaining  more  satisfactory  profits,  or 
in  evolving  a  better  country  life,  the  collective  intelli- 
gence and  planning  of  the  great  masses  of  farmers 
should  be  added  to  all  investigation  and  teaching  by 
specialists,  all  projects  of  government,  all  the  work  of 
school  and  college,  all  laws  for  regulation  or  control. 

The  farmers  must  "  organize  "  first  of  all  for  self- 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     255 

protection  and  self-help.  The  lone  farmer  is  always 
at  a  disadvantage.  Predatory  interests  must  be  met 
by  a  determined  front.  Farmers  must  have  the  chance 
to  express  their  own  convictions.  Class  power  and  ef- 
ficiency show  themselves  best  in  capacity  for  self-direc- 
tion. Only  through  association  can  farmers  defend 
themselves;  only  so  can  they  make  their  fullest  con- 
tributions to  the  general  welfare.  There  is  danger  in 
organization.  The  individual  may  lose  himself  in 
some  big  overhead  attachment.  Powerful  combina- 
tions of  farmers  may  exercise  their  power  wrongfully. 
But  the  gains  are  far  greater  than  the  losses.  The 
farmer  has  been  called  the  most  independent  of  men; 
but  alone  he  is  no  longer  independent.  He  becomes 
truly  free,  under  modern  conditions,  only  as  he  joins 
with  his  fellows  for  common  ends.  The  dangers  aris- 
ing in  associated  activity  from  impulse  or  ignorance, 
selfish  class  interests  or  feeling  can  be  met  by  education, 
time  and  experience. 

Though  it  is  doubtful  if  a  farmers'  political  party 
can  have  any  permanent  place  in  America,  the  farmers 
must  be  free  to  act  together  to  influence  parties,  meas- 
ures and  men.  There  should  be  room  in  the  rural 
program  for  a  fighting  force  of  farmers.  The  need 
for  such  aggressive  tactics  may  arise  only  occasionally; 
but  sound  policy  calls  for  its  recognition.  But  rural 
associations  do  not  exist  for  their  own  sakes.  They 
must  seek  to  serve.  They  must  not  be  narrow  in  their 
views  or  in  their  activities.  They  are  for  the  good  of 
all  or  they  are  no  good  at  all.  They  must  be  ready  to 
cooperate  heartily  with  one  another  and  with  public 
agencies.  They  should  become  as  efl'icient  as  possible, 
each  doing  its  own  part  in  the  program  of  rural  better- 
ment. 


256    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURE  AND 
COUNTRY  LIFE 

We  cannot  have  an  adequate  rural  policy  unless  we 
think  of  American  agriculture  as  in  some  sort  one  big 
farm,  with  millions  of  fields,  each  tilled  by  a  farmer 
and  his  family.  How  can  we  get  all  these  millions  of 
farmers  to  work  hard,  intelligently  and  continuously, 
in  such  a  way  that  the  entire  American  farm  will  reach 
its  highest  possible  development?  The  only  method 
by  which  this  can  be  even  approximated  is  organization. 
Organization  secures  the  cooperation  of  all  factors 
that  are  necessary  or  helpful  in  carrying  out  a  definite 
purpose.  The  full  organization  of  American  agricul- 
ture and  country  life  is  the  largest  single  item  in  mak- 
ing a  sound  policy  effective.  How  can  agriculture  be 
thus  organized? 

Each  agency  or  institution  devised  to  assist  farmers 
and  farming  should  work  out  a  clearly  marked  policy 
and  program.  Its  particular  task  in  rural  improve- 
ment needs  to  be  defined  and  recognized.  A  particu- 
lar form  of  organization,  as  yet  not  fully  utilized  in 
America,  is  the  thorough  cooperation  of  the  growers 
of  a  particular  product,  as  of  cotton  growers,  wheat 
growers,  stock-breeders,  in  all  parts  of  their  business 
—  producing,  selling  and  establishing  relationships  to 
other  interests  or  to  government.  Industrial  solidarity 
seems  necessary  for  greatest  cooperative  effectiveness. 
The  citrus-fruit  growers  of  California  have  shown  the 
way  to  one  of  the  most  important  and  promising  meth- 
ods of  agricultural  advancement. 

Certain  objects  or  purposes  require  another  group- 
ing of  people  and  of  agencies.  The  country  life  move- 
ment calls  for  common  action  by  those  whose  chief  in- 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     257 

terest  is  social  welfare.  Or  a  more  specific  end  may 
be  in  view,  such  as  an  apple  producing  campaign.  Or 
in  even  greater  detail,  it  may  be  desirable  to  have  a 
"  drive  "  for  treating  potato  seed.  In  all  these  cases 
the  cooperation  of  many  agencies  is  necessary  for  the 
best  success.  Many  things  need  to  be  done  —  in- 
vestigation, an  educational  propaganda  —  certain  pub- 
lic regulations,  buying  and  selling.  Many  agencies 
should  be  used  —  the  extension  service,  the  farm  bu- 
reau, the  Grange,  the  fruit  or  vegetable  growers'  asso- 
ciation, the  farmers'  exchange.  In  some  way  all  neces- 
sary methods  and  agencies  are  to  be  used,  each  in  its 
best  way,  for  the  purpose  in  view. 

Still  another  type  of  rural  organization  is  to  be  de- 
veloped. Unless  agriculture  and  country  life  are  fully 
organized  by  regions  or  areas,  the  most  complete  prog- 
ress can  hardly  be  expected.  How  can  we  bring  the 
farming  business  and  the  farm  life  to  its  best  estate 
in  each  farm,  in  each  farm  community,  in  each  rural 
county,  in  each  state,  in  the  nation  as  a  whole  and  in 
the  world  at  large?  Any  aim  short  of  such  an  idea 
is  incomplete.  Each  region  then  must  become  a  real 
unit  for  rural  progress,  must  study  itself,  make  plans 
for  improvement,  and  ally  all  forces  within  the  region 
in  a  broad  program  of  development.  This  is  really 
the  crowning  task  of  statesmanship  in  rural  affairs. 

BUILDING   THE    LOCAL    RURAL    COMMUNITY 

In  some  respects  the  most  important  single  improve- 
ment in  rural  affairs  is  to  develop  real  communities  of 
farming  folk.  These  communities  must  often  be  cre- 
ated —  they  do  not  exist.  The  community  idea  is  sim- 
ply that  of  a  group  of  farmers  and  the  people  closely 
allied  with  them,  acting  together  as  one  man.     The 


258    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

members  of  this  local  group  can  plan  as  a  unit  in  pro- 
duction of  crops,  agreeing  on  kinds  and  amounts. 
They  can  sell  together  and  buy  together.  They  can  act 
together  in  school  and  church  affairs  and  in  matters  of 
public  health.  A  community  may  have  its  own  ideas 
and  ideals,  its  own  church,  school,  farmers'  exchange, 
library,  in  fine  all  organized  activities  that  seem  neces- 
sary or  desirable.  The  local  community  is  almost  es- 
sential in  a  real  rural  democracy,  and  indeed  is  the  unit 
of  democracy. 

COUNTRY    LIFE 

In  any  program  of  rural  reconstruction  that  aims  to 
be  comprehensive  it  would  be  a  fatal  blunder  not  to 
stress  the  importance  of  the  social  or  humane  factor. 
The  life  is  more  than  meat.  The  man  is  worth  more 
than  dollars.  "  The  farmer  is  of  more  consequence 
than  the  farm  and  should  be  first  improved."  The  big 
farm  question  is  getting  and  keeping  the  right  sort  of 
people  on  the  land.  A  satisfying  farm  life  is  necessary 
to  a  permanent  agriculture  and  consequently  to  the  best 
farming.  The  city  will  always  be  replenished  from 
the  country-side.  We  must  therefore  omit  no  plan 
and  decline  no  exertion  that  will  encourage  a  good  farm 
life  through  such  elements  as: 

A  farm  home  that  conserves  the  physical  vigor,  the 
mental  development,  the  moral  character  and  the 
spiritual  insight  of  all  members  of  the  family, 
whether  workers  or  growing  children,  and  plays 
its  part  in  developing  a  rich  community  life. 

A  mechanism  of  communication  within  the  community 
and  with  other  communities  that  serves  both  eco- 
nomic and  social  needs. 


PROGRAM  OF  RECONSTRUCTION     259 

A  system  of  rural  education  that  gives  a  sound  founda- 
tion in  the  recognized  elements  of  the  efficient 
worker,  the  intelligent  citizen,  the  high-minded 
man. 

Conservation  of  the  health  of  the  people;  proper  pro- 
vision for  public  sanitation. 

Machinery  of  local  government  at  once  honest  and  ef- 
fective for  large  community  ends  as  well  as  for 
maintenance  of  order. 

Ample  recreation,  native  rather  than  exotic  —  spon- 
taneous, but  directed,  for  the  young;  self-ex- 
pressive for  the  mature. 

A  rural  art  that  develops  the  full  capacity  of  the  farm 
environment,  making  beauty  of  dwelling,  road- 
side, field  and  broad  landscape  an  asset  of  farm 
life  recognized  by  the  farmer  himself. 

A  rural  culture  that  appreciates  the  full  meaning  of 
life  and  seeks  constant  development  of  mind  and 
spirit  through  work,  books,  nature,  human  com- 
panionship. 

Moral  conditions  that  make  for  training  of  children  in 
the  best  habits  of  conduct. 

The  religious  motive  that  idealizes  farm  work  as 
service  to  God  and  His  children,  land  manage- 
ment as  social  responsibility  and  rural  life  itself 
as  a  sacred  opportunity  for  personal  joy  and 
growth. 

COUNCILS  OF  AGRICULTURE 
There  can  be  no  consistent  rural  policy  unless  there 
is  a  policy  maker.  But  there  Is  no  existing  agency  wise 
enough  or  representntive  enough  to  make  a  policy. 
We  have  many  agencies,  public  and  private,  and  will 
have  more  rather  than  fewer  of  them.     How  then  can 


26o    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

we  have  a  good  policy?  The  only  effective  way  is  by 
the  organization,  under  the  federal  principle,  of  perma- 
nent groups  authoritatively  representing  the  different 
aspects  of  the  farm  problem,  and  the  different  public 
and  voluntary  agencies  which  are  at  work  or  that  may 
come  into  being.  National  and  state  councils  are  im- 
perative; county  and  community  councils  are  almost 
equally  important.  An  international  council  of  agri- 
culture and  country  life  is  not  beyond  the  range  of 
possibilities.  There  is  no  other  method  by  which 
American  agriculture  can  be  assured  its  full  measure  of 
intelligent  improvement  and  its  adjustment  to  a  de- 
veloping civilization. 

A    RURAL    DEMOCRACY 

In  the  social  reorganization  of  the  world  the  farmer 
must  have  his  part.  He  must  not  be  an  underling.  In 
intelligence,  freedom,  initiative,  he  must  stand  as  the 
good  citizen.  He  must  participate  in  political,  indus- 
trial and  social  arrangements  for  the  common  good  of 
mankind.  We  do  not  want  and  we  will  not  tolerate 
an  agricultural  caste  out  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  rise. 
The  farmer  must  be  truly  free  and  fully  respected. 
An  American  program  of  rural  reconstruction  finds  its 
need  then  in  a  wise,  united  planning  for  a  true  democ- 
racy in  which  the  farmer  himself  will  find  his  place  in 
full  freedom  and  in  splendid  efficiency. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  URGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY 

The  great  war  is  over.  The  menace  of  autocratic 
world-power  has  been  ground  to  powder.  The  birth 
pangs  of  the  New  Day  are  gone.  The  European 
world,  torn  and  bleeding,  wearily  faces  the  task  of  re- 
building herself  into  health  and  strength.  The  world 
has  been  made  safe  for  democracy.  But  democracy 
is  yet  an  infant  to  be  nursed  into  a  virile  maturity 
through  years  and  decades  of  experiment,  failure,  self- 
education,  disappointment,  enlargement,  reshaping, 
final  triumph. 

America  emerges  from  the  war  potent  for  aid  in  the 
work  of  world  reconstruction.  Her  resources  barely 
touched,  her  casualties  relatively  small,  her  strength  un- 
impaired, she  must  shoulder  much  of  the  world's  bur- 
den. She  has  fought  effectively  to  help  save  for  hu- 
manity the  freedom  she  has  cherished  as  her  own  great 
ideal;  she  must  now  wield  her  might  on  behalf  of  a 
genuine  democracy  for  all  peoples.  Nations  must 
learn  to  be  both  efficient  and  free. 

Is  the  farmer  ready  for  the  New  Day?  Shall  he 
reap  the  full  harvest  of  "  greater  opportunity  and 
greater  prosperity"?  Is  the  American  farmer  ready, 
first  of  all,  to  do  his  full  share  toward  feeding  the 
hungry  nations  until  they  can  care  for  themselves? 
Perhaps  here  is  his  largest  opportunity  to  help  in  re- 
construction, for  as  Jane  Addams  has  recently  written: 
"  There  are  unexpected  turnings  in  the  paths  of  moral 

261 


262    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

evolution  and  it  would  not  be  without  precedent  if, 
when  the  producing  and  shipping  of  food  is  no  longer  a 
commercial  enterprise,  but  had  been  gradually  shifted 
to  a  desire  to  feed  the  hungry,  a  new  and  powerful 
force  in  international  affairs  would  have  to  be  reck- 
oned with."  Here  is  a  glorious  vision  of  an  idealist. 
But  after  all  is  it  visionary?  Feeding  the  hungry  world 
is  the  farmer's  task  in  the  New  Day.  Why  should 
he  not  recognize  it?  Why  should  it  not  be  his  great 
inspiration?  This  conception  of  his  task  and  the  bend- 
ing of  his  will  to  its  fulfillment  may  have  consequences 
far  beyond  that  of  merely  appeasing  hunger. 

Mr.  Hoover  has  gone  abroad  again;  after  he  went 
it  was  announced  that  there  would  be  a  world  organi- 
zation of  the  food  supply.  This  step  is  clearly  neces- 
sary if  scores  of  millions  of  earth's  people  are  to  be 
kept  from  starvation.  But  the  idea  is  profoundly  true 
as  a  basic  need  of  the  New  Day.  The  world  will  be 
poorly  compensated  for  its  sufferings  in  the  present 
war  if  it  cannot  organize  its  production  and  distribu- 
tion of  food  so  that  there  is  no  hunger  anywhere. 

AMERICA    UNPREPARED    FOR    THE    NEW    DAY 

In  many  ways  we  are  unprepared  for  peace.  We 
do  not  have  an  agricultural  program.  There  is  no 
responsible  institution,  no  representative  organization, 
no  responsible  group  of  men  with  a  program.  Most 
of  us  look  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  lead- 
ership and  statesmanship  in  a  matter  of  this  sort.  We 
do  not  find  it.  Various  farmers'  bodies  have  definite 
ideas  on  many  of  the  needs  of  the  new  time,  but  there  is 
no  representative  group  of  farmers  with  a  compre- 
hensive, clearcut,  adequate  plan  for  the  improvement 
of  American  agriculture  and  country  life.     The  De- 


THE  URGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY      263 

partment  of  the  Interior  has  given  publicity  to  a  grandi- 
ose scheme  for  providing  land  for  returning  soldiers. 
Later  came  the  announcement  that  the  Department  of 
Labor  would  soon  announce  a  solution  of  that  prob- 
lem. Thus  far,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  has 
been  silent  in  the  matter.  Many  groups  are  discussing 
these  problems,  seeking  to  outline  plans  of  opera- 
tions. Thus  far,  there  is  no  unity  among  them  and 
there  has  been  no  serious  effort  indeed,  to  bring  them 
together. 

WE  SHOULD  TAKE  TIME  TO  MAKE  A  PERMANENT 
AGRICULTURAL  PROGRAM 

A  program  should  be  made  only  after  great  care  and 
much  study  and  with  counsel  from  many  minds  and 
from  many  points  of  view.  It  cannot  be  made  in  a 
day  nor  by  any  single  man,  nor  even  by  a  group  of  men 
representing  only  a  portion  of  the  forces  to  be  cor- 
related or  interested  in  only  a  part  of  the  problem. 

An  agricultural  program  should  be  as  broad  as  the 
whole  problem.  It  cannot  be  confined  merely  to  pro- 
duction. Indeed,  its  great  emphasis  will  be  upon  just 
distribution,  skillful  farm  management,  a  satisfying 
country  life.  We  should  frankly  discuss  such  basic 
questions  as  acquisition  of  land,  provision  for  farm 
labor,  relations  to  other  industrial  groups. 

In  order  to  secure  such  a  broad  and  well  considered 
plan  of  improvement,  it  is  necessary  that  there  should 
be  free  and  constant  cooperation  among  all  the  indi- 
viduals and  all  the  organizations  which  may  fairly  be 
said  to  represent  the  working  farmers,  as  well  as  re- 
sponsible representatives  of  publicly  supported  institu- 
tions dealing  with  agricultural  affairs. 

A  beginning  should  be  made  now. 


264    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 


UNIFY   AMERICAN   AGRICULTURE 

It  is  wholly  impossible  for  the  farmers  of  America 
to  take  their  proper  place  in  helping  to  solve  the  prob- 
lems of  reconstruction  that  are  confronted  at  the  very 
threshold  of  the  New  Day,  unless  agriculture  can  pre- 
sent a  single  front  —  a  unified  purpose  and  an  ag- 
gressive program.  It  is  necessary  that  the  two  main 
groups  of  rural  institutions,  those  supported  out  of  the 
public  treasury,  and  the  private  or  voluntary  associa- 
tions and  organizations  of  various  types  should  work 
in  closest  harmony.  There  is  an  imperative  call  upon 
the  agencies  of  agricultural  education  to  get  together 
at  once  not  only  to  map  an  adequate  program  of  agri- 
cultural education,  but  to  take  steps  to  carry  it  out  in 
the  spirit  of  a  large  unity.  We  should  have  a  com- 
prehensive and  statesmanlike  plan  for  the  utmost  de- 
velopment of  our  rural  school  system,  backed  by  the 
farmers  and  coordinated  with  our  system  of  agricul- 
tural education.  There  is  the  same  pressing  need  of 
real  unity  and  thorough-going  cooperation  among  the 
various  farmers'  organizations.  The  country  life  In- 
terests should  be  federated.  Anything  short  of  this 
full  unification  of  rural  forces  will  result  in  a  partial 
program.  It  will  mean  failure  to  meet  the  great  ex- 
igency. The  fundamental  need  of  the  New  Day  is, 
therefore: 

THE    LARGER    COOPERATION 

Much  good  can  be  done  by  partial  effort.  Groups 
here  and  there,  individual  agencies,  studying  and  plan- 
ning and  working,  will  accomplish  much,  but  it  is  only 
through  the  cooperation  of  all  interests  that  the  de- 
mands of  the  New  Day  are  to  be  met. 


THE  URGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY      265 

Larger  Cooperation  Nationally.  Under  one  name 
or  another,  what,  it  does  not  matter,  there  must  be  a 
conferring  group  that  shall  attempt  to  correlate  agri- 
cultural forces.  Let  us  call  it  a  National  Council  of 
Agriculture  and  Country  Life  unless  a  better  name  can 
be  found.  Let  it  be  thoroughly  representative  in  its 
makeup.     What  could  it  do? 

1.  It  could  outline  a  clear-cut  statement  of  the  Amer- 
ican farm  problem. 

2.  It  could  develop  a  plan  for  ensuring  the  compre- 
hensive study  and  the  accurate  mapping  of  the  agri- 
cultural resources  of  the  entire  country. 

3.  It  could  make  a  statement  of  the  main  elements 
in  an  American  agricultural  policy  that  would  attempt 
to  secure  maximum  efficiency  on  the  part  of  the  farm- 
ers, a  fair  labor  income  for  their  efforts,  and  the  proper 
relationships  of  American  agricultural  activities  to  the 
world's  need  and  supply  of  food. 

4.  It  could  make  a  program  of  efforts  needed  to 
carry  out  large  policies.  It  could  list  the  various  agen- 
cies now  at  work  on  behalf  of  agriculture,  show  what 
each  is  doing  and  indicate  how  it  may  fit  into  the  pro- 
gram. It  could  recommend  improvements,  if  neces- 
sary, in  existing  agencies  and  organizations.  It  could 
seek  constantly  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  all  these 
agencies  on  behalf  of  the  program. 

It  may  be  asked  whether  such  a  council  should  be 
permanent.  It  seems  to  be  the  only  way  out.  There 
is  a  call  for  a  permanent  national  agricultural  general 
staff,  one  that  is  representative  of  the  widest  possible 
range  of  agencies.  It  would  be  inadequate  if  it  repre- 
sented merely  the  government  or  merely  the  farmers. 
Unity  is  indispensable  to  the  most  complete  agricul- 
tural advancement  and  unity  can  be  gained  only  by  uni- 


266    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

fying.  This  larger  national  cooperation  is  therefore 
indispensable  for  the  New  Day. 

Larger  Cooperation  in  the  State.  The  same  need 
exists  in  every  state  for  this  getting-together  of  the  agri- 
cultural interests  —  the  state  board  or  department  of 
agriculture,  the  department  of  education,  the  agricul- 
tural college,  the  farm  bureaus,  the  Grange,  the  Farm- 
ers' Union  and  all  other  voluntary  organizations.  It 
would  be  well  if  in  each  state  there  could  be  the  equiva- 
lent of  an  agricultural  development  committee  com- 
posed of  the  official  representatives  of  all  state-sup- 
ported agencies  charged  with  work  on  behalf  of  agri- 
culture, to  outline  plans  for  studying  and  mapping  the 
agricultural  resources  of  the  state,  m::ke  a  program  for 
the  development  of  agriculture  and  country  life  and 
suggest  methods  of  securing  the  cooperation  of  the 
various  agencies.  Beyond  this,  there  should  be  a  fed- 
eration of  rural  agencies,  to  include  not  only  the  pub- 
lic institutions,  but  the  voluntary  associations  of  farm- 
ers and  others  interested  in  rural  affairs. 

Larger  Cooperation  in  the  Community.  No  other 
form  of  effort  to  organize  agriculture  and  to  make  it 
efficient  will  reach  its  full  power,  unless  in  every  one 
of  the  50,000  possible  rural  communities  we  have  the 
people  working  together  and  thinking  together  and 
talking  together  and  planning  together  and  acting  to- 
gether, for  every  common  purpose  of  their  common 
need  and  for  a  common  contribution  to  state,  national 
and  world  welfare. 

Larger  Cooperation  in  the  County.  County  councils 
of  agriculture  and  country  life  might  well  be  instigated 
by  the  county  farm  bureaus,  but  should  not  be  subor- 
dinate to  them ;  for  the  farm  bureau  is  only  one  of  many 
agencies  in  most  counties.      But  wherever  the  county 


THE  URGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY      267 

is  a  prominent  feature  of  American  political  life,  this 
larger  cooperation  of  county  activities  is  necessary. 

Larger  Cooperation  between  City  and  Country. 
We  have  made  scarcely  a  beginning  in  bringing  together 
city  and  country.  The  need  is  felt  particularly  in  the 
relations  of  the  small  country  city  or  county  seat  situ- 
ated in  a  farming  region.  It  is  mischievous  to  permit 
the  continuance  of  those  antagonisms  that  do  prevail. 
In  the  New  Day  there  is  no  place  for  sharp  class  dis- 
tinctions. The  larger  cooperation  must  involve  all  in- 
terests, all  classes,  all  peoples. 

The  World  as  a  Field  for  the  Larger  Cooperation. 
There  are  those  who  have  been  pleading  for  some 
while  that  not  only  American  agriculture,  but  world 
agriculture,  must  be  thoroughly  organized.  The  war 
has  forced  this  problem  upon  us  whether  we  will  or  no. 
We  can  no  longer  remain  immune  to  what  European 
countries  or  South  American  countries  or  Asiatic  coun- 
tries are  doing  in  agriculture.  The  International  In- 
stitute of  Agriculture  in  Rome  was  a  sincere  and  far- 
sighted  effort  to  provide  a  clearing-house  for  world 
agricultural  interests.  Why  not  use  it  as  the  nucleus 
of  comprehensive  world  organization  for  agriculture? 

We  must  not  devote  our  energies  and  thought  wholly 
to  the  business  or  economic  side  of  agriculture.  The 
great  human  interests  of  farmers  as  a  class  and  as  a 
part  of  the  world  democracy  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration. Before  the  war  there  were  the  beginnings 
of  a  very  distinct  call  for  agricultural  missionaries  to 
go  Into  backward  agricultural  countries  like  Turkey  and 
India.  The  result  of  this  war  ought  to  be  the  organi- 
zation of  a  world  agricultural  mission.  The  countries 
that  will  emerge  from  the  war  well  organized,  forward- 
looking,  competent,  should  pool  their  agricultural  in- 


268     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

telligence  and  skill  on  behalf  of  the  human  as  well  as 
the  economic  interests  of  the  peasants  of  Russia,  the 
rural  villages  of  India,  and  the  tiny  farms  of  China. 
America  particularly  ought  to  be  open  to  an  appeal 
for  a  world  program  of  agricultural  education  and 
country  life  propaganda  that  will  supplement  coor- 
dinated agricultural  business  and  economic  interests. 

Sooner  or  later  there  will  have  to  be  due  recognition 
of  world  interest  and  world  solidarity  in  regard  to  rural 
affairs.  The  very  moment  has  arrived  to  recognize 
that  interest  in  an  international  conference  and  pre- 
sumably in  some  form  of  permanent  council  or  con- 
ferring group.  The  desirability  has  long  existed.  It 
has  now  become  imperative. 

THE    FIRST    STEPS 

In  reconstruction  plans,  probably  agriculture  will  be 
recognized.  A  national  commission  to  study  these 
problems  may  be  necessary  and  desirable,  but  we  can- 
not wait  for  that.  The  most  important  single  step  that 
can  be  taken  is  to  secure  a  thoroughly  responsible  na- 
tional conference  to  consider  the  agricultural  program 
of  reconstruction.  Ideally,  this  would  be  called  by  the 
Department  of  Agriculture;  but  at  any  rate  it  ought  to 
be  brought  together  and  in  the  immediate  future. 
There  is  no  other  way  of  mapping  an  adequate  policy 
for  securing  a  working  program. 

There  could  be  formed  at  least  a  temporary  Na- 
tional Council  of  Agriculture  and  Country  Life,  com- 
posed of  representatives  from  such  bodies  as  the  Na- 
tional Grange,  the  National  Board  of  Farmers'  Or- 
ganizations, the  Advisory  Committee  to  the  Secretary 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Federal  Food  Administration, 
the  American  National  Live  Stock  Association,  the  Na- 


THE  URGE  OF  THE  NEW  DAY      269 

tional  Grain  Growers'  Association  and  possibly  other 
similar  groups;  and  among  the  publicly  supported 
agencies,  representatives  from  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture ;  the  Federal  Food  Administra- 
tion; the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Col- 
leges and  Experiment  Stations,  and  such  groups  as  the 
Association  of  Agricultural  Economists,  the  Associa- 
tion for  Agricultural  Legislation  and  the  State  Market- 
ing Officials. 

THE    HOUR    HAS   STRUCK 

America  was  unprepared  for  war.  She  is  unpre- 
pared for  peace.  She  carried  the  war  to  a  glorious 
end.  She  will  be  equal  to  the  demands  of  peace.  But 
there  is  no  time  to  lose.  We  did  not  have  an  adequate 
agricultural  program  before  the  war.  We  did  not  de- 
velop one  during  the  war,  and  we  do  not  have  one  now. 
But  we  are  completely  competent  to  make  such  a  pro- 
gram. There  are  hosts  of  men  who  see  the  need,  who 
have  the  vision,  who  possess  knowledge  and  ideas. 
These  men  are  to  be  found  among  the  farmers  and 
among  public  officials,  but  their  knowledge,  their  ideas, 
their  vision,  their  efforts  must  be  correlated.  It  is  only 
so  that  we  can  meet  the  issue  of  the  hour.  The  urge 
of  the  New  Day  in  agriculture  is  a  definite  policy,  an 
adequate  program,  and  the  larger  cooperation. 

Europe  cannot  be  rehabilitated  unless  its  agriculture 
is  rebuilt.  Are  the  American  farmers  ready  to  help 
in  this  rebuilding?  The  New  Day  will  be  merely  a 
dream  unless  the  farmer  as  well  as  the  laborer  comes 
to  his  own.  Education  and  organization  now  and 
evermore  are  the  only  doors  through  which  the  farmer 
can  pass  to  his  rightful  place. 


APPENDIX  I 

THE  FORUM  AND  THE  COMMUNITY* 

The  rise  of  the  community  is  one  of  the  outstanding  social 
phenomena  of  our  time,  not  yet  generally  discerned,  much  less 
accepted  as  a  working  basis  of  social  reconstruction. 

THE   FIRST   COMMUNITY   ORGANIZATION 

The  forum  is  the  first  distinctively  community  organization 
emerging  out  of  the  reconstructive  chaos  through  which  yes- 
terday is  becoming  to-morrow.  Isms  no  longer  cohere;  sec- 
tarianism is  a  spent  force ;  dogma  is  dead ;  and  the  caste  castles 
of  yesterday  are  everywhere  capitulating  to  democracy.  So- 
ciety is  being  reconstructed  in  terms  of  human  essentials,  and  in 
many  instances  the  forum  has  already  become  not  only  human- 
izing but  human. 

A   COMMUNITY   CRUCIBLE 

Because  of  this,  the  forum  is  a  community  crucible,  in  which 
Jew  and  Gentile  have  offensive  Judaism  and  defensive  Gen- 
tility burned  away;  in  which  the  ignorantly  bound  are  made 
intelligently  free,  and  the  coldly  free  are  warmed  to  com- 
munity service. 

A   COMMUNITY    SCHOOL 

These  things  happen  because  the  forum  is  a  community 
school.  Educated  people  are  beginning  to  be  socially  intelli- 
gent, or  at  least  to  understand  that  social  ignorance  is  the  un- 
pardonable sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit  that  indwells  in  all  life 
as  well  as  over-broods   it.     In  the  forum,   knowledge  is   in- 

1  By  Harold  Marshall,  of  the  Community  Forum  Movement. 

271 


272    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

structed  by  wisdom,  and  often  the  broken  English  and  halting 
thought  of  a  question  from  the  floor  is  greater  than  many  flow- 
ing periods  from  the  platform.  Not  every  audience  learns 
anything  from  every  speaker;  but  any  speaker  can  learn  much 
from  the  collective  wisdom  of  any  audience. 

AN    interpreter's    HOUSE 

In  this  wise,  the  forum  becomes  an  Interpreter's  House, 
where  each  finds  his  own  problems  solved  by  the  common  ex- 
perience, his  own  questions  answered  by  the  collective  wisdom, 
and  above  all  where  he  learns  that  which  saves  evolution  from 
revolution  —  that  these  problems  are  not  new,  only  new  to 
him ;  that  others  have  asked  and  found  at  least  partial  answers 
that  help  him  to  larger  answers;  that  he  is  bruised  with  the 
unconquered  hardships  of  a  brutal  and  savage  past;  and  that  he 
cannot  be  healed  by  any  self-sought  balm,  but  only  by  the  oil 
of  common  sacrifice. 

AN    EXPRESSION    OF    HUMAN   RELIGION 

In  the  forum  the  still  inarticulate  religion  of  humanity  is 
beginning  to  find  a  voice.  Some  forums  had  orthodox  begin- 
nings, but  soon  lost  them.  Many  possessed  an  early  piety,  but 
outgrew  it  as  soon  as  they  began  to  grow  at  all.  But  all  real 
forums  become  increasingly  religious,  not  by  intention,  but 
because  every  human  being,  stripped  of  orthodoxy  and  piety, 
reveals  a  naked  soul.  Many  a  preacher,  heartsick  from  the 
Phariseeism  of  the  pew,  has  been  healed  by  the  publican  of  the 
forum.  Indeed,  to  many  outcast  souls  the  forum  is  a  half-way 
house  from  Churchianity  to  Christianity. 

A   QUICKENER   OF   THE    COMMUNITY   CONSCIENCE 

Every  forum  is  a  quickener  of  the  community  conscience. 
The  ethics  of  Christianity  have  been  individualized  through 
ages  of  individual  effort  to  escape  from  a  hellward-bound  so- 
ciety to  a  selfish  heaven.  The  supreme  ethical  problem  of  our 
time  is  to  re-state  the  social  principles  of  the  Hebrew  prophets. 


FORUM  AND  COMMUNITY  273 

that  found  their  latest  and  greatest  social  statement  in  the  su- 
preme Prophet  of  Nazareth,  so  that  the  individual  conscience 
shall  function  in  social  terms.  The  forum  is  doing  this  in 
many  communities,  and  for  a  rapidly  increasing  number  of 
individuals.  Its  greatest  actual  achievement  so  far  is  the  num- 
ber of  social  sinners  it  has  converted  into  social  servants. 

A   COMMUNITY  CHURCH 

In  what  has  already  been  said  is  implied  what  may  yet  be  the 
greatest  of  all  the  contributions  of  the  forum  to  the  community 
life  of  to-morrow.  It  is  increasingly  apparent  to  all  thoughtful 
people  that  one  of  the  great  problems  of  our  time  is  the  rein- 
tegration of  divisive  and  competitive  and  mutually  limiting  sec- 
tarian organizations  into  a  new  religious  unity.  The  forums 
are  making  a  distinct  and  increasing  contribution  to  the  solu- 
tion of  this  problem.  The  working  creed  of  the  Open  Forum 
is  "  the  belief  that  we  must  all  move  together  toward  the  solu- 
tion of  the  successive  problems  of  mankind  through  the  dedica- 
tion of  each  to  all,  the  devotion  of  all  to  each,  and  our  com- 
mon consecration  to  all  the  nobler  ends  of  life."  Its  spirit  is 
the  modern  spirit  that  has  changed  religious  emphasis  from 
other-world  individualism  to  the  increasingly  heroic  endeavor 
to  bring  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  among  men.  It  is  inspired 
by  the  religion  of  the  common  life;  it  may  yet  prove  a  powerful 
help  in  the  development  of  the  church  of  the  common  life. 


APPENDIX  II 

WHAT  SOME  COMMUNITIES  ARE  DOING 

All  over  the  country  there  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  take 
up  rural  affairs  on  a  community  basis.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  classify  these  because  most  of  them  are  not  given  publicity  in 
any  wide  way,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  community  method 
of  doing  business  is  growing.  Merely  for  the  purpose  of  illus- 
trating the  variety  of  community  effort,  there  is  appended  a 
statement  of  what  some  Massachusetts  communities  are  doing. 
These  are  to  be  found  in  a  recent  bulletin  from  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College,  entitled,  "  Mobilizing  the  Rural 
Community,"  and  written  by  Professor  E.  L.  Morgan,  Com- 
munity Adviser  at  the  college.  These  are  actual  instances  of 
efforts  and  can  be  verified. 

WHAT  SOME  COMMUNITIES  ARE  DOING  ^ 

I.      IN    FARM    PRODUCTION 

The  organization  of  a  livestock  improvement  association  that 
has  brought  135  pure-breds  into  the  herds  of  one  town  in 
three  years. 

Poultry  producers  have  brought  about  the  adoption  of  one  breed 
of  poultry  for  one  town. 

Through  a  soil  Improvement  club  one  town  has  increased  crop 
yields. 

The  organization  of  a  cow  test  association  that  has  weeded  out 
41  unprofitable  cows  from  the  herds  of  one  town, 

A  large  number  of  towns  have  stimulated  agricultural  improve- 
ment through  cooperation  with  the  farm  bureau. 

1  Anyone  interested  in  any  item  here  mentioned  may,  upon  request, 
get  the  name  of  the  town  in  which  it  is  being  carried  out. 

274 


WHAT  COMMUNITIES  ARE  DOING    275 

Last  year  one  town  increased  its  acreage  of  potatoes  92%,  an- 
other its  acreage  of  beans  200%  and  another  its  acreage 
of  corn  160%. 

An  all-winter  lecture  service  on  agriculture  and  home  making 
wa?  secured  in  one  town  from  the  farm  bureau. 

II.      IN    FARM    BUSINESS 

Some  thirty  farmers'  cooperative   exchanges  have  taken  over 

much  of  the  purchasing  of  farm  supplies  in  as  many  towns. 
In  some  ten  towns  farmers  got  together  through  the  farmers' 

exchange,  adopted  a  brand,  and  have  had  their  products 

packed  by  one  man  for  the  last  three  years. 
Thirty-one  farmers  are  keeping  farm  accounts  and  are  thereby 

learning  their  business. 
By  forming  a  local  farm  loan  association  farmers  in  a  number 

of  towns  have  been  able  to  get  better  long-term  credit 

facilities. 
Special  short-term  loans  for  crop  production  were  secured  for 

sixteen  farmers  in  one  community. 
Farmers  in  one  section  have  combined  in  establishing  a  milk 

processing  and  distributing  system. 
Last  year  business  men  of  one  section  furnished  seed  potatoes, 

fertilizer,  and  spray  material,  the  farmers  the  land  and 

labor.     The  crop  was  divided  equally  in  the  field. 
Last  year  48  towns  established  community  markets  where  the 

surplus  farm  and  garden  products  were  easily  disposed  of. 
A  group  of  farmers  in  one  town  have  combined  and  are  using  a 

motor  truck  in  delivering  their  farm  products. 
Farmers  in  a  number  of  sections  have  financed  the  gathering  and 

circulation  of  market  news  information. 

III.       IN    CONSERVATION 

Community  canning  and  drying  centers  were  established. 
Food  thrift  conferences  and  demonstrations  were  held. 
Women  in  many  towns  have  met  regularly  for  the  study  of 

foods  and  their  conservation. 
Substitutes  were  used  for  staples  in  feeds  and  fuels. 


276    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

A  plan  was  outlined  for  developing  and  conserving  natural  re- 
sources. 

Points  of  scenic  and  historical  value  were  purchased  and  im- 
proved. 

IV.,  IN  boys'  and  girls'  activities 

Last  year  75%  of  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  state  encouraged 
hoys'  and  girls'  club  work  and  appropriated  funds  to  em- 
ploy a  local  club  supervisor  for  the  summer  months. 

Several  'owns  have  opened  a  community  center  in  the  school 
building  or  elsewhere  which  is  of  great  educational  value  to 
its  young  people. 

One  town  took  a  church  census  which  showed  church  and  Sun- 
day School  attendance  among  boys  and  girls. 

Boy  Scout  and  Camp  Fire  Girl  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  are  es- 
tablished activities  in  many  communities. 

One  town  is  running  the  moving  picture  business  at  cost.  This 
gives  a  carefully  selected  program  at  a  low  price. 

A  recreation  field  was  purchased  by  one  town  which  gave  a 
public  place  for  baseball,  basketball,  picnics,  etc. 

V.     in  community  life 

a.     In  General  Community  Affairs 

A  number  of  towns,  using  the  community  council  scheme,  have 
worked  out  a  thorough  long-term  plan  of  development  by 
means  of  which  they  are  getting  results. 

A  uniform  plan  of  organization  for  special  war  work  has  reached 
every  town  in  the  commonwealth. 

This  year  300  towns  were  officially  represented  at  the  com- 
munity leaders'  planning  conferences,  one  of  which  was 
held  in  even'  county  of  the  state. 

Two  hundred  and  eighty-six  towns  have  held  special  com- 
munity conferences  to  consider  development  plans  for  191 8. 

b.     In  Home  Affairs 

Home  making  study  in  women's  clubs  has  encouraged  interest 
in  home  affairs. 


WHAT  COMMUNITIES  ARE  DOING     277 

Home  making  taught  in  the  schools  has  given  girls  a  new  atti- 
tude toward  the  home  and  its  work. 

A  home  planning  exhibit  in  the  library  brought  out  much  in- 
terest in  house  arrangements.  Five  homes  were  built  from 
these  plans. 

The  town  housing  act  was  adopted  by  many  tpwns,  thus  safe- 
guarding the  town  against  dangerous  and  unhealthy  houses. 

Home  making  lectures  and  demonstrations  have  developed  in- 
terest in  home  affairs  in  many  towns  of  the  state. 

Extension  schools  in  home  making  have  been  held  in  a  number 
of  communities  through  cooperation  between  the  Agricul- 
tural College  and  the  farm  bureaus. 

c.     In  Education 

A  sub-library  has  been  placed  in  every  school  in  the  town,  thus 

making  books  available  to  the  children. 
Some  150  towns  made  an  appropriation  of  $100  to  $200  for  a 

boys'  and   girls'  club  supervisor  which   resulted   in  large 

numbers  of  boys  and  girls  doing  club  work  last  year. 
A  town  Christmas  tree  was  participated  in  by  all  churches  and 

many  other  organizations. 
A  town  agricultural  fair  association  holds  an  annual  fair  and 

exhibit  of  things  made  or  grown  in  the  town. 
A  parent-teacher  association  has  developed  a  spirit  of  perfect 

cooperation  on  school  matters. 
An  Agricultural  College  extension  school  resulted  in  a  thorough 

study  of  the  agricultural  situation   in  one  town.     Plans 

were  made  and  good  results  obtained. 
A  community  progress  conference  was  the  starting  point  for  a 

general  community  organization  plan  in  one  toun. 
Vocational  teaching  has  been  the  means  of  holding  many  boys 

and  girls  in  school  as  well  as  given  them  vocational  guid- 
ance. 
In    some    25    towns    attention    has    been    given    to    noonday 

lunches. 
A  public  forum  gives  the  people  of  one  town  an  opportunity  to 

discuss  the  live  questions  of  the  day. 


278     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

The  organization  of  a  community  house  has  given  a  social  cen- 
ter for  the  people  of  one  town. 

The  Agricultural  College  correspondence  courses  in  poultry, 
pomology,  home  making,  etc.,  have  been  taken  by  a  large 
number  every  year. 

Lectures  and  demonstrations  in  home  making,  orcharding,  poul- 
try, marketing,  public  health,  etc.,  have  stirred  one  town 
to  the  point  of  planning  for  the  future. 

d.     In  Public  Health 

A  pure  and  abundant  water  supply  made  one  town  healthier 

and  gave  adequate  fire  protection. 
A  number  of  towns  maintain  district  nurses.     In  some  of  these 

the  funds  are  appropriated  at  the  annual  town  meeting. 
A  sewage  disposal  system  reduced  many  forms  of  disease  and 

generally  improved  the  health  of  the  people. 
The  town  housing  plan  was  adopted  and  made  impossible  the 

building  of  dark  or  poorly  ventilated  houses. 
The  eradication   of   flies   and   mosquitoes  was   brought   about 

through   a   public  health  survey  which   showed   breeding 

places  and  suggested  remedies. 
A  town  clean-up  day  really  cleaned  up  the  town,  many  loads  of 

refuse  being  gathered  at  town  expense. 

e.     In   Transportation  and  Communication 

Road  construction  according  to  a  permanent  improvement  plan 

has  saved  several  hundred  dollars  every  year  and   given 

much  better  roads. 
A  steam  roller  for  road  building  and  maintenance  has  proven 

more  economical  than  teams  for  drawing  the  road  machine 

and  packing  the  surface. 
A  new  trolley  schedule  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  town  has 

been  inaugurated. 
Trolley  express  faciHties  have  been  increased  so  that  the  farmer 

was   brought   into  much   better   communication   with   his 

market. 


WHAT  COMMUNITIES  ARE  DOING     279 

Sidewalk  improvement  and  extension  did  much  for  the  conven- 
ience of  the  people  and  the  improvement  of  one  town. 

A  new  road  system  resulted  in  opening  new  roads  and  abandon- 
ing others.  This  was  a  great  help  to  the  farmer  in  reach- 
ing his  market. 

The  use  of  a  split  log  drag  finally  won  its  way  and  resulted  in 
better  roads  at  less  expense. 

/.     In  Recreation 

A  recreation  field  gave  the  young  people  a  permanent  place  for 
plays  and  games.  The  whole  town  uses  it  for  picnics, 
festivals,  etc. 

An  annual  recreation  field  day  or  a  sort  of  old  home  day  has 
done  much  to  develop  community  interest. 

Monthly  public  entertainments  of  real  value  have  been  given 
instead  of  haphazard  events. 

Local  dramatics  have  helped  to  hold  the  interest  of  young  people. 

Play  apparatus  in  schools  greatly  reduced  the  problem  of  play- 
ground discipline  and  gave  incentive  and  purpose  to  play 
activities. 

Organized  athletics,  baseball  and  basketball,  held  the  loyalty 
of  both  boys  and  girls  to  other  things  in  the  town. 

A  July  4th  celebration  did  much  to  develop  the  patriotic  mo- 
tive. It  dealt  with  local  historical  events.  The  people 
remained  at  home  and  enjoyed  a  quiet  though  impressive 
day. 

A  May  day  celebration  enlisted  the  children  of  the  schools  in 
an  event  which  they  felt  was  their  own. 

ff.     In  Civic  Affairs 

The  improvement  of  public  property  has  increased  the  civic 
pride  so  that  many  homes  are  being  improved  through 
planting. 

Through  the  removal  of  bill  boards  one  town  got  rid  of  un- 
wholesome pictures  which  were  constantly  before  their 
children. 


28o    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

A  home  improvement  contest  enrolled  31  homes  and  resulted 
in  very  marked  improvement  in  all  of  them. 

Many  towns  have  planned  and  improved  the  school  grounds, 
cemeteries  and  playgrounds. 

The  placing  of  guide  boards  has  very  materially  improved  the 
facilities  of  travel  in  one  town. 

Grounds  of  scenic  and  historical  value  were  purchased  which 
would  soon  have  been  appropriated  for  commercial  pur- 
poses. 

A  town  finance  committee  was  organized  which  has  given  study 
and  direction  to  the  financial  affairs. 

A  town  planning  board  worked  out  a  plan  for  public  buildings, 
streets  and  parks. 

An  annual  tree  planting  day  gives  one  town  more  trees  in  pub- 
lic places  each  year. 

Roadside  care  and  planting  has  made  many  highways  more 
beautiful  and  easier  to  take  care  of. 

h.     In  Public  Morality 

A  religious  education  plan  whereby  every  child  was  given  re- 
ligious education  by  some  church. 

An  anti-saloon  and  vice  crusade  was  carried  on.  This  was  a 
combined  community  and  church  movement  that  secured 
results. 

Lectures  on  subjects  pertaining  to  special  phases  of  public 
morality  have  resulted  in  a  new  standard  of  living  for  one 
locality. 

A  church  membership  survey  of  the  town  showed  the  exact  con- 
stituency of  each  church. 

A  church  federation  united  the  two  churches  under  one  minis- 
ter, each  church  still  retaining  its  identity  and  organization. 

Church  cooperation  in  social  service  combined  the  work  of  all 
into  an  all-year-round  social  service  plan.  The  county  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  was  a  large  factor  in  bringing  this  about. 

Supervision  of  dance  halls  and  moving  picture  shows  eliminated 
the  undesirable  features  and  made  them  of  real  value  to 
the  town. 


APPENDIX  III 

PROGRAM  FOR  FOOD  PRODUCTION  AND 
CONSERVATION 

THE   farmer's   responsibility 

Upon  the  farmer  rests  in  large  measure  the  final  responsi- 
bility of  winning  the  war  in  which  we  are  now  involved.  The 
importance  to  the  nation  of  an  adequate  food  supply,  espe- 
cially for  the  present  year,  can  not  be  over-emphasized.  The 
world's  food  reserve  is  very  low.  Not  only  our  own  con- 
sumers, but  much  of  the  world  at  large,  must  rely  more  com- 
pletely than  ever  before  upon  the  American  farmer.  There- 
fore, the  man  who  tills  the  soil  and  supports  the  soldier  in  the 
field  and  the  family  at  home,  is  rendering  as  noble  and  patriotic 
a  service  as  is  the  man  who  bears  the  brunt  of  battle. 

The  American  farmer  has  long  shown  his  ability  to  pro- 
duce more  food  per  man  and  at  lower  cost  per  unit  than  any 
other  farmer  in  the  world,  but  he  has  never  had  to  do  his  best. 
He  needs  to  do  his  best  now.  This  is  not  the  time  to  experi- 
ment with  new  and  untried  crops  and  processes.  It  is  very 
important  that  the  farmer  devote  his  principal  efforts  to  the 
production  of  such  crops  and  the  employment  of  such  methods 
as  are  well  established  in  his  community  and  as  are  likely  to 
yield  the  maximum  return  in  food  and  clothing  material. 

Within  the  next  sixty  days  the  final  measure  of  crop  acreage 
and  food  production  for  this  year  will  have  been  established. 
We  urge  the  importance  of  the  immediate  mobilization  of  all 
available  service  of  the  federal  and  state  Departments  of  Agri- 
culture and  the  colleges  of  agriculture  in  cooperation  with  the 
press,  the  banks,  the  commercial  organizations,  the  religious  and 
the  social  societies,  that  all  may  heartily  join  with  the  farmer 
in  performing  the  patriotic  duty  of  providing  and  conserving 
food. 

281 


282     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Because  of  the  world  shortage  of  food,  it  is  scarcely  possible 
that  the  production  of  staple  crops  by  the  farmers  of  the  United 
States  can  be  too  great  this  year.  There  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  a  generous  price  will  be  paid  for  the  harvest  of  their 
fields. 

INCREASING   THE    FOOD    SUPPLY 

There  is  yet  time  to  add  substantially  to  the  bread  supply  by 
increasing  the  acreage  of  spring  wheat  in  the  northern  states. 
Throughout  the  United  States,  east  of  the  one  hundredth 
meridian,  the  corn  area  may  be  increased  to  advantage,  with  a 
view  to  its  use  both  for  human  food  and  animal  production. 

The  production  of  a  normal  cotton  crop  is  necessary.  This 
can  best  be  accomplished  by  more  intensive  cultivation  and 
increased  fertilization  rather  than  by  increasing  the  acreage 
and  thus  neglecting  the  food  and  forage  crops  so  important  to 
the  south. 

In  the  districts  where  wheat  has  been  winter  killed  replant- 
ing is  suggested  with  oats,  corn,  or  sorghum,  as  climatic  con- 
ditions may  determine.  Where  barley  and  oats  are  proved 
and  reliable  crops,  they  should  be  planted  to  the  maximum  that 
can  be  effectively  handled.  In  portions  of  the  northern  and 
eastern  states,  where  the  season  is  too  short  for  the  great  staple 
crops,  the  buckwheat  acreage  may  well  be  increased. 

An  important  increase  in  our  food  supply  may  be  made  by 
enlarging  the  area  planted  to  navy  beans  in  the  north  and  west 
and  to  Mexican  and  Tepary  beans  in  the  southwest,  and  by 
stimulating  in  every  reasonable  way  an  increase  in  the  area 
of  potatoes  planted,  especially  for  local  use. 

Sweet  potatoes  in  the  south  will  undoubtedly  be  needed  in 
their  fresh  state  in  larger  quantity  than  usual  and  also  for  stor- 
ing for  winter  use  either  in  their  natural  state  or  as  canned 
or  desiccated  products.  Where  peanuts  succeed,  production 
may  well  be  enlarged  because  of  their  value  both  as  food  and 
forage. 

A  reasonable  seed  reserve  for  replanting  tilled  crops  should 
be  held  wherever  practicable. 

While  it  is  important  to  utilize  available  lands  in  the  staple 


A  PROGRAM  283 

small  grains  and  tilled  crops,  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid 
undue  encroachment  on  the  area  used  for  pasturage  or  hay 
which  is  required  for  live-stock  production. 

Authority  should  be  granted  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  to 
advance  to  farmers  under  proper  safeguards  seeds  required  to 
insure  the  production  of  crops  decided  to  be  necessary  for  the 
welfare  of  the  nation. 

THE    SCHOOL   CHILDREN'S    PART 

We  appeal  to  the  youth  of  the  nation  to  put  forth  every 
effort  to  produce  foodstuffs  in  gardens  and  fields.  There 
could  be  no  better  expression  of  true  patriotic  devotion  to  the 
country.  It  has  been  demonstrated  through  the  boys'  and 
girls'  clubs  that  it  is  possible  for  the  farm  family  to  supply  itself 
with  much  of  the  food  required,  thereby  releasing  the  commer- 
cial product  of  the  country  for  the  needs  of  the  neople  in  the 
cities  and  in  foreign  lands. 

In  a  normal  season  it  is  certain  that  there  will  be  large  quan- 
tities of  perishable  products  which  can  not  be  properly  pre- 
served in  the  home.  To  meet  this  emergency  it  is  recom- 
mended that  local  and  municipal  drying  and  canning  establish- 
ments be  improvised  to  conserve  this  material. 

KEEPING    UP   THE    MEAT   SUPPLY 

The  live-stock  holdings  of  the  farmers  of  the  United  States 
are  already  too  low.  It  would  be  most  unfortunate  if  these 
numbers  were  diminished  further  under  the  pressure  of  the 
present  demand  for  food.  Indeed,  an  early  increase  of  the 
animal  products  of  the  country  should  be  made.  Such  an  in- 
crease must  come  chiefly  through  the  enlarging  of  our  feed 
supply  by  more  successful  methods  of  feeding,  and  through  more 
complete  control  of  contagious  diseases. 

Milk  production  could  be  increased  fully  one-fourth  by  more 
liberal  and  intelligent  feeding.  Pork  production  could  be  in- 
creased substantially  through  the  more  extensive  use  of  fall 
litters,  better  care,  and  feeding.  The  poultry  products  of  the 
United  States  could  be  doubled  within  a  year. 


284    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

Contagious  diseases  of  farm  animals  take  a  toll  of  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  billion  dollars  annually.  More  than  half  of 
this  loss  is  due  to  controllable  diseases,  such  as  hog  cholera, 
black-leg  and  Texas  fever.  The  federal  government,  cooper- 
ating with  the  states,  could  profitably  expand  its  intensive  regu- 
latory services  so  as  to  embrace  every  important  live-stock  dis- 
trict in  this  country. 

MOBILIZING    FARM    LABOR 

One  of  the  principal  limiting  elements  of  food  production  is 
the  labor  supply  on  the  farm.  Indiscriminate  enlistment  from 
the  farms  with  no  plan  for  labor  replacement  will  reduce  food 
production  below  its  present  low  level. 

The  plan  for  public  defense  should  include  as  definite  a 
program  for  enlistment  for  food  supply  as  for  service  at  the 
front. 

In  addition  to  more  than  one-half  of  those  applying  for  en- 
listment and  rejected  because  of  unfitness  for  military  service, 
there  are  more  than  two  millions  of  boys  between  the  ages  of 
15  and  19  years  in  the  cities  and  towns  not  now  engaged  in 
productive  work  vital  to  the  nation  in  the  present  war  emer- 
gency. These  constitute  the  most  important  hitherto  unor- 
ganized and  unutilized  labor  resources  available  for  this  emer- 
gency. 

In  consideration  of  all  these  facts  the  plan  of  military  enlist- 
ment should  be  broadened  so  as  to  include  in  a  national  service 
those  who,  by  reason  of  their  age  or  physical  condition,  are 
permanently  or  temporarily  incapacitated  for  active  military 
duty  but  who  are  able  to  render  to  the  government  equally  in- 
dispensable service  in  the  production  of  food,  supplies  and 
munitions. 

This  enlistment  should  include  three  classes:  Men  beyond 
military  age ;  men  of  military  age  but  not  accepted  for  active 
military  duty;  and  boys  under  age  for  enlistment. 

The  government  should  make  plans  at  once  for  the  mobiliza- 
tion of  this  important  resource  for  the  production  of  food  and 


A  PROGRAM  285 

other  necessities.  This  proposed  enlistment  in  the  national 
service  should  be  regarded  as  part  of  the  public  patriotic  service 
in  the  present  war  emergency  and  be  given  proper  official 
recognition. 

THE    HARVEST    EMERGENCY 

The  husbanding  of  a  matured  crop  promptly  is  often  the 
most  vital  and  crucial  point  in  production  and  is  the  point  of 
the  heaviest  labor  demand  on  the  farm.  We  suggest  that  the 
federal  Department  of  Agriculture,  cooperating  with  the  state 
departments  of  agriculture  and  other  agencies,  should  take 
steps  to  mobilize  farm  labor  to  meet  all  emergencies  which  may 
arise. 

A    SURVEY   OF   THE    FOOD   SUPPLY 

We  suggest  the  importance  of  a  thorough-going  survey  of  the 
food,  labor,  and  other  resources  of  the  country  and  of  the  needs 
of  the  local  communities  to  the  end  that  ever>'  part  of  the 
country  may  be  maintained  in  effective  service.  Therefore,  we 
recommend : 

That  power  be  conferred  upon  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
in  cooperation  with  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  so  far  as 
practicable,  to  secure  such  information  regarding  the  food  sup- 
ply of  the  nation  and  all  business  enterprises  relating  thereto 
as  may  be  necessary  to  enable  Congress  to  legislate  suitably  for 
the  protection  of  the  people  in  the  existing  crisis  and  for  the 
information  of  the  nation  in  its  daily  conduct,  giving  to 
the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  for  this  purpose  power  to  ad- 
minister oaths,  to  examine  witnesses,  and  to  call  for  tlie  pro- 
duction of  books  and  papers  with  means  of  enforcement  and 
penalties. 

That  authority  be  conferred  upon  the  Secretary  of  Agricul- 
ture to  establish  market  grades  and  classes  of  farm  products, 
including  seeds,  and  standards  for  receptacles  for  such  products. 
For  this  purpose  he  should  consult  the  various  trades  concerned. 
The  established  grades  for  corn  and  wheat  undoubtedly  will  be 
of  much  advantage  in  purchasing  supplies  and  the  establishment 
of  grades  for  other  products  will  be  fully  justified  for  the  same 


286    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

purpose.  Furthermore,  such  standards,  with  a  suitable  degree 
of  supervision  of  their  application,  will  result  in  returning  to  the 
producer  the  value  of  the  particular  qualities  he  produces,  thus 
encouraging  adequate  production  in  the  future.  This  is  of 
special  importance  in  connection  with  the  perishable  crops,  but 
applies  with  almost  equal  force  to  the  staples. 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  should  be  authorized  by  law  to 
license  warehouses,  packing  plants,  mills,  cold  storages,  produce 
exchanges,  cooperative  and  other  shipping  associations,  commis- 
sion merchants,  auctioneers,  brokers,  jobbers,  wholesale  dis- 
tributors, and  other  individuals,  partnerships,  associations,  and 
corporations  engaged  in  the  business  of  marketing  and  distribut- 
ing farm  and  food  products.  When  directed  by  the  President, 
the  Secretary  should  have  power,  after  advising  with  the  Coun- 
cil of  National  Defense  as  to  the  necessity  of  such  a  step,  to 
take  over  and  operate  such  of  these  businesses  as  may  be  war- 
ranted, in  a  manner  similar  to  receivership. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  solution  of  transportation  problems, 
government  agencies  should  do  all  in  their  power  to  bring  about 
a  relatively  adequate  supply  of  cars  for  moving  food  and  other 
necessities. 

Communities,  counties,  and  cities  should  be  urged  to  take 
steps  that  will  lead  toward  a  larger  degree  of  local  and  district 
self-support,  especially  in  perishable  products,  by  making  inven- 
tories of  food  needs  and  surveys  of  neighboring  possibilities  of 
production  and  in  general  by  closer  cooperation  of  the  local  con- 
suming and  producing  interests  and  by  the  provision  of  local 
marketing  facilities. 

PRICE    PUBLICITY 

To  bring  about  a  greater  equality  of  distribution  considering 
the  consumptive  demands  of  population  centers,  the  market  in- 
formation facilities  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture and  the  several  state  departments  should  be  extended 
and  made  as  effective  as  possible.  It  should  include  the  publish- 
ing, as  widely  as  possible  for  the  information  of  producers  and 
consumers  of  farm  products,  of  average  prices  of  foods,  feeds. 


A  PROGRAM  287 

and  live  stock,  and  particularly  those  paid  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment, if  purchases  are  made  direct  in  the  open  market  instead 
of  by  the  usual  contract  method. 

If  not  incompatible  with  wise  policy,  the  War  Department 
should  determine  and  state  where  training  camps  are  to  be 
located,  so  that  local  production  can  be  expanded  to  care  in 
some  degree  for  the  increased  consumption  as  a  measure  of  gen- 
eral economy,  and  to  effect  a  further  relief  of  transportation 
facilities. 

Appropriate  steps  should  be  taken  through  suitable  federal 
authorities  such  as  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  the  Department  of  Commerce,  and  the 
Federal  Trade  Commission,  to  facilitate  the  supplying  of  agri- 
cultural implements  and  machinery,  particularly  for  seeding  and 
harvesting,  by  bringing  about  reasonable  deliveries  of  the  neces- 
sary materials,  in  preference  to  filling  orders  for  such  products 
as  are  not  required  in  the  existing  emergency. 

Steps  should  be  taken  at  once  to  secure  the  preference  move- 
ment of  freight  shipments  of  farm  machinery,  seeds,  fertilizers, 
and  spraying  materials. 

PRICE   FIXING,    IF    NECESSARY 

The  very  low  food  reserves  of  the  world,  due  to  last  year's 
short  crops,  the  increased  demands  due  to  the  consumption  and 
waste  of  war  and  the  disappointing  condition  of  the  winter 
grain  crop  give  ample  assurance  of  profitable  prices  to  producers 
this  year.  Therefore,  the  fixing  of  maximum  or  minimum 
prices  need  not  be  undertaken  at  this  time,  but  the  fact  that  such 
a  course  may  become  necessary  in  the  future  advises  the  crea- 
tion of  agencies  which  will  enable  the  government  to  act  wisely 
when  the  necessity  may  arise.  To  this  end,  it  would  be  well 
for  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  to  authorize  the  Council 
of  National  Defense,  if  deemed  necessary,  to  purchase,  store, 
and  subsequently  distribute  food  products,  or  to  fix  prices  in 
any  national  emergency  caused  by  a  temporary  or  local  over- 
production or  by  a  sudden  ending  of  the  war  or  by  restraints  of 
trade,  manipulations  or  uneconomic  speculation,  in  order  that 


288    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

producers  may  not  be  required  to  suffer  loss  on  account  of  the 
extraordinary  efforts  they  are  now  asked  to  make,  and  in  order 
that  consumers  may  not  be  required  to  pay  oppressive  prices  in 
case  of  disorganized  or  inadequate  transportation.  Information 
should  be  continually  maintained  by  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture that  will  afford  the  council  intelligent  data  upon  which 
to  act  wisely  and  fairly  in  any  emergency. 

INCREASED   HOME    ECONOMY 

We  are  the  most  wasteful  people  in  the  world  in  our  ways  of 
living.  Our  tastes  and  desires  have  been  educated  beyond  our 
incomes. 

Almost  as  great  a  saving  may  be  made  through  the  more  eco- 
nomical manufacture,  purchase,  and  use  of  food  as  can  be  made 
through  processes  of  production  which  are  immediately  feasible. 

Our  breadstuffs  supply  may  be  increased  by  one-twelfth,  or 
18,000,000  barrels  of  flour  a  year,  by  milling  our  wheat  so  as 
to  make  81  per  cent,  of  the  kernel  into  flour,  instead  of  73  per 
cent,  as  at  present.  This  flour  would  have  as  high  nutritive 
value  as  that  which  we  now  use. 

An  important  saving  may  be  effected  by  making  the  diet  as 
largely  vegetarian  as  possible,  without  lowering  food  efficiency, 
by  a  partial  substitution  of  such  foods  as  beans  and  peas  and 
of  milk  and  its  products,  including  skimmed  milk,  for  the  more 
expensive  meats.  At  present  prices  a  larger  use  of  corn  and 
rice  products  as  partial  substitutes  for  the  more  expensive  wheat 
products  is  suggested. 

The  substitution  of  the  home-grown  and  home  prepared  grain 
products  for  the  much  more  expensive  refined  commercial  foods, 
known  as  breakfast  foods,  will  make  a  large  saving.  Adequate 
gardens  should  provide  the  home  supply  of  vegetables,  which  are 
expensive  foods  when  purchased  at  existing  prices.  The  home 
storage  and  preservation  of  foods,  such  as  eggs,  vegetables,  fruits, 
and  meats,  should  be  increased.  The  serious  food  wastes  that 
occur  in  many  households  through  a  lack  of  culinary  knowledge 
and  skill  may  be  minimized  through  instruction  in  better 
methods. 


A  PROGRAM  289 

These  economies  will  be  secured  chiefly,  if  not  fully,  through 
the  further  education  of  housewives.  It  is  highly  important 
that  all  educational  agencies  available  for  this  purpose  engage 
in  widespread  propaganda  and  instruction  concerning  the  eco- 
nomical use  of  human  foods. 

NATIONAL   AND   STATE   ORGANIZATION    NEEDED 

The  Council  of  National  Defense  is  charged  with  the  duty  of 
mobilizing  the  resources  of  the  nation,  having  as  one  of  its  mem- 
bers the  Secretary  of  Agriculture.  We  recommend  additional 
machinery  as  follows: 

A  relatively  small  central  agricultural  body,  whose  services 
and  presence  might  be  required  in  Washington  constantly,  to  be 
composed  of  men  who  have  wide  knowledge  of  agricultural  mat- 
ters and  executive  experience.  In  selecting  these  men,  atten- 
tion should  be  paid  to  geographical  distribution. 

A  large  national  advisory  body  composed  of  representatives 
of  the  leading  agricultural  agencies  and  associations  concerned 
not  only  in  production  but  in  distributing  and  handling  com- 
modities. 

A  small  central  agricultural  body  in  each  state  representing 
various  agricultural  interests,  including  agricultural  officials, 
representatives  of  agricultural  colleges,  bankers'  business,  farm- 
ers' and  women's  organizations,  etc.,  concerned  in  the  produc- 
tion, distribution,  and  utilization  of  food  supplies  and  agricul- 
tural raw  materials.  This  body  should  be  designated  by  the 
governor  and,  if  the  state  has  a  central  council  of  safety  or 
defense,  should  be  coordinated  with  it. 

Such  county,  urban,  and  other  local  bodies  as  the  state  author- 
ities, including  this  state  central  agenc\',  may  see  fit  to  suggest. 

The  national  central  body  and  the  state  central  bodies  will 
be  expected  to  keep  in  intimate  contact  and  to  work  in  close 
cooperation. 

AN    EMERGENCY    APPROPRIATION 

To  meet  the  extraordinary  needs  of  agriculture  in  this  emer- 
gency we  recommend  an  appropriation  of  $25,000,000,  or  so 


290     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

much  thereof  as  may  be  needed,  to  be  available  immediately  for 
the  use  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  in  such  manner  as  he 
may  deem  best. 

The  situation  which  now  confronts  our  country  is  a  great 
emergency  —  the  greatest,  perhaps,  in  its  history.  Emergency 
measures  are  needed  to  meet  unusual  conditions.  The  recom- 
mendations made  in  this  statement  have  been  formulated  because 
it  is  believed  that  they  are  necessary  in  order  to  meet  present  con- 
ditions. They  are  war  measures.  It  is  strongly  urged  that 
Congress  and  state  legislatures,  in  passing  laws  or  in  making 
appropriations  intended  to  carry  out  these  or  other  plans  for 
assuring  an  adequate  food  and  clothing  supply,  should,  so  far  as 
possible,  be  governed  by  the  principle  that  when  the  emergency 
ceases  much  permanent  reconstruction  in  agricultural  policies 
and  plans  may  be  necessary. 

The  recommendations  in  the  main  call  for  federal  action,  but 
state  governments  can  and  should  cooperate  to  the  fullest  degree 
in  considering  and  executing  plans  of  cooperation  for  the  great 
common  purpose  herein  enunciated. 

(From  the  Program  for  Food  Production  and  Conservation,  prepared 
at  the  conference  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  and  representatives 
from  32  states,  held  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  9-10,  1917-) 


APPENDIX  IV 
AN  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURAL  POLICY 

The  following  note,  prepared  by  Dr.  Alexander  E.  Cance, 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  summarizes  the  opinions  or 
convictions  of  sixty  or  more  agricultural  leaders  —  commission- 
ers of  agriculture,  presidents  and  deans  of  agricultural  colleges 
and  directors  of  experiment  stations,  economists,  farmers,  promi- 
nent leaders  in  farmers'  organizations,  bankers,  rural  journalists 
and  others.  In  some  capacity  every  man  is  vitally  interested  in 
the  agricultural  industry.  Several  are  acknowledged  national 
leaders  in  rural  affairs. 

To  this  group  of  men  four  questions  were  addressed: 

( 1 )  Has  the  time  arrived  to  begin  the  formulation  of  an  Amer- 
ican agricultural  policy  ? 

(2)  Is  it  feasible  and  desirable  to  relate  such  a  policy  to  the 
larger  questions  of  the  world  food  supply? 

(3)  What  are  the  main  items  which  should  be  included  in  such 
a  policy  ? 

(4)  How  can  such  a  policy  best  be  formulated  and  all  agricul- 
tural agencies  rallied  to  its  execution? 

Most  of  the  replies  indicated  a  sincere  desire  to  consider  the 
question  seriously  and  thoughtfully.  Very  few  who  replied 
failed  to  understand  the  purport  of  the  questions  and  all  ac- 
cepted them  in  good  faith.  Of  the  whole  number  only  one  or 
two  seemed  puzzled  and  failed  to  grasp  their  full  significance. 
On  the  whole  the  replies  may  well  be  accepted  as  typifying  the 
best  thought  of  the  day  on  the  agricultural  problem. 

I.    HAS  THE  TIME  ARRIVED  TO  BEGIN  THE  FORMULATION  OF  AN 
AMERICAN    AGRICULTURAL    POLICY? 

It  is  very  significant  that  the  response  to  the  first  question 
is  almost  unanimously  affirmative.     With  two  or  three  excep- 

291 


292     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

tions  they  believe  the  time  ripe  for  the  formulation  of  an  agri- 
cultural policy.  Several  are  sure  the  hour  is  long  overdue. 
Not  a  few  have  been  mulling  over  or  working  on  the  details  of 
such  a  problem  for  years. 

The  reasons  advanced  for  bringing  forward  the  matter  now 
are  various.  But  in  the  main  they  are  to  be  found  in  the  agri- 
cultural status  brought  about  by  the  war.  Several  men  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  formulation  of  an  agricultural 
policy  is  imperative  because  food  production  problems  are  re- 
ceiving more  attention  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the 
country;  because  the  Food  Administration,  the  War  Industries 
Board  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  have 
called  the  attention  of  all  the  people  to  the  underlying  principles 
in  the  formulation  of  such  a  policy ;  because  we  have  had  two 
fruitful  years  to  study  the  problem ;  because  for  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  our  country  farm  production  has  become  a  na- 
tional if  not  an  international  concern ;  because  agriculturists  as 
well  as  statesmen  at  this  time  are  more  open-minded  concern- 
ing agriculture  than  ever  before ;  others  find  in  the  necessary 
reconstruction  of  agriculture  and  industry  after  the  war,  partic- 
ularly with  reference  to  land  settlement  and  the  employment  of 
returning  soldiers,  a  sufficient  reason  for  giving  their  careful 
present  thought  to  the  formulation  of  such  a  policy.  Moreover 
agriculture  has  now  become  stabilized  because  we  are  beginning 
to  reap  the  unfortunate  harvest  of  mistakes  made  in  our  land 
policy  and  agricultural  practice  of  the  past;  because  the  soil  is 
being  rapidly  depleted  by  exports  of  fertility  in  the  shape  of 
raw  products  to  other  lands;  because  agriculture  is  every  day 
becoming  commercialized,  is  in  fact  no  longer  a  self-sufficing 
industry ;  because  of  the  advent  of  machinery,  notably  tractors 
and  electrical  devices ;  because  the  selection  of  the  best  men  and 
women  in  our  rural  population,  owing  to  the  competition  of 
cities,  is  depriving  agriculture  of  much  needed  leadership  are 
further  reasons  for  the  prompt  undertaking  of  an  agricultural 
policy. 

A  few  men  significantly  point  out  the  fact  that  while  it  is  pos- 
sible to  lay  down  the  principles  underlying  an  agricultural  pol- 


A  POLICY  293 

icy  the  actual  determination  of  an  agricultural  program  must 
wait  on  international  politics  following  peace;  in  fact  it  is  very 
likely  that  America's  agricultural  policy  will  be  determined  in  a 
large  degree  by  economic  relations  between  nations.  If  eco- 
nomic barriers  are  broken  down  and  peace  is  made  on  a  basis  of 
internationalism  rather  than  nationalism,  if  trade  is  free  between 
nations,  our  agricultural  policy  will  be  much  different  than  if 
we  continue  to  maintain  our  politics  on  national  lines  and  de- 
velop in  America  a  self-sufficing  trade  policy.  Then  we  will 
raise  corn  in  Illinois  rather  than  in  Argentine  and  perhaps  find 
it  advisable  to  buy  our  meat  in  Iowa  rather  than  in  South 
America. 

It  is  evident  that  agricultural  leaders  view  the  problem  in 
dififerent  lights  but  with  almost  absolute  unanimity  find  it  imme- 
diate and  pressing,  and  all  believe  that  the  formulation  of  such 
a  policy  will  be  a  great  stroke  of  agricultural  statesmanship. 

II.   IS  IT   FEASIBLE   AND  DESIRABLE   TO   RELATE    SUCH    A    POLICY 
TO  THE  LARGER  QUESTIONS  OF  THE  WORLD  FOOD  SUPPLY? 

This  question  was  answered  very  uniformly  in  the  affirmative, 
although  a  number  of  men  did  not  grasp  the  full  significance 
of  the  question  and  saw  in  it  only  a  question  of  providing  food 
for  people  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  evident,  however, 
thatia  sound  agricultural  policy  cannot  leave  out  of  account 
political  and  productive  conditions  in  other  nations.  Our  agri- 
cultural policy,  for  example,  must  be  closely  tied  up  with  that  of 
Canada.  With  perfect  free  trade  between  Canada  and  the 
United  States  our  agricultural  policy  must  be  quite  different 
from  a  policy  based  on  high  protective  duties  between  two  coun- 
tries.-'f  If  the  United  States  is  to  become  a  manufacturing  rather 
than  an  agricultural  nation  an  agricultural  program  will  have 
to  be  shaped  to  that  end  and  will  have  to  take  into  consideration 
the  purchase  of  many  agricultural  raw  materials  produced  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  In  fact,  American  agriculture  has 
nearly  always  been  shaped  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  by  our 
international  trade  policy.  After  the  war  this  will  be  more 
true   than   ever.     Our   very   close   affiliations   with    the   allied 


294    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

countries  will  make  it  imperative  that  we  take  into  account 
their  commercial  well  being.  Certain  of  their  products,  which 
they  can  produce  well  and  more  cheaply  than  we,  will  under 
free  trade  conditions  be  shipped  to  us.  On  the  other  hand  we 
shall  produce  those  commodities  for  which  we  are  naturally  best 
fitted,  thus  making  the  best  use  of  the  natural  resources  of  the 
world  without  regard  to  the  flag  which  floats  over  them.  Here- 
after we  must  think  in  international  terms. 

III.   WHAT  ARE  THE  MAIN  ITEMS  WHICH  SHOULD  BE  INCLUDED 
IN  SUCH   A   POLICY? 

When  it  comes  to  a  statement  of  the  main  items  which 
should  be  included  in  an  agricultural  policy  it  is  very  evident 
that  agricultural  leaders  have  great  difficulty  in  separating  the 
essential  from  the  non-essential.  A  host  of  items  were  men- 
tioned, some  of  them  patently  reflecting  local  conditions,  some 
of  them  the  pet  themes  of  the  writers,  some  of  them  obvious 
agricultural  needs  and  others  including  a  comprehensive  na- 
tional program.  Altogether  a  catalog  of  these  items,  as  gleaned 
from  the  replies,  comprehends  almost  every  phase  of  the  agri- 
cultural program  and  represents  nearly  every  part  of  the  coun- 
try. A  rather  rough  analysis  would  throw  most  of  the  sugges- 
tions into  a  few  comprehensive  groups. 

1.  Land  problems,  mcluding  the  colonization,  settlement,  ten- 
ure and  financing  of  land. 

2.  Soil  conservation,  including  not  only  staying  the  ravages 
of  erosion  and  soil  depletion  by  careless  farming,  but  also  the 
conservation  of  potash,  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  lime  and  other 
elements  or  materials  of  fertility  suitable  for  plant  growth  in  the 
air,  in  the  soil  and  in  the  earth. 

3.  Control  of  farm  capital,  including  access  to  capital  for  the 
purchase  of  land  and  other  permanent  improvements,  for  the 
purchase  of  suitable  equipment  and  for  conducting  current  agri- 
cultural operations.  There  is  a  general  feeling  that  the  gov- 
ernment has  not  gone  far  enough  in  financial  assistance,  that 
while  the  land  banks  are  good  they  should  be  supplemented  with 
institutions  for  providing  short  time  credit  and  should  be  closely 


A  POLICY  295 

tied  up  with  agents  or  organizations  who  can  inspect  and  advise 
with  regard  to  the  best  use  of  capital.  Correlative  with  this  is 
the  problem  of  supervising  the  manufacture,  distribution  and 
sale  of  agricultural  machinery,  and  perhaps  fertilizers,  used  by 
farmers,  to  the  end  of  its  economic  utilization. 

4.  Farm  labor,  including  supply,  distribution  and  condition 
of  employment. 

5.  Marketing  and  distribution  of  farm  products,  including  the 
organization  of  farmers  for  business  purposes.  Perhaps  no 
items  of  policy,  other  than  land  problems,  were  more  frequently 
mentioned  by  these  agricultural  leaders  than  the  marketing  of 
farm  products  and  the  organization  of  farmers.  The  follow- 
ing is  prevalent,  that  there  are  large  wastes  in  the  distribution 
of  farm  products  which  it  is  possible  to  remedy  by  an  intelli- 
gent agricultural  policy,  either  through  government  assistance 
or  through  farmers'  organizations  or  through  both.  These 
problems  include  transportation,  both  by  highway  and  by  rail- 
road, wholesale  distribution,  storage  and  warehousing,  primary 
manufacturing,  and  regulation  of  commissions  and  trade  prac- 
tices in  the  handling  of  agricultural  products  and  agricultural 
supplies. 

6.  Farm  life,  including  conditions  in  and  surrounding  the 
farm  home,  and  community  life  and  surroundings.  It  is  felt 
that  no  agricultural  programs  have  sufficiently  taken  account  of 
the  farm  home,  its  construction,  sanitation,  economic  appliances 
and  situation  as  a  part  of  the  farm  enterprise  as  well  as  a  unit 
in  community  life. 

7.  Community  life,  including  education,  religion  and  recrea- 
tion. Not  very  much  that  is  definite  was  advanced  on  this  topic 
but  strong  statements  were  made  with  regard  to  the  necessity 
of  better  rural  school  conditions  and  a  more  wholesome  rural 
community  life,  at  least  sufficient  to  place  the  country'  boy  and 
girl  as  well  as  the  country  adult  on  the  same  plane  with  city 
dwellers.  There  is  a  strong  conviction  that  country  children 
in  few  parts  of  the  country  are  receiving  the  same  advantages 
of  education  that  city  children  of  the  same  economic  class  are 
receiving.  The  country  church  was  emphasized  many  times  as 
being  an  essential  factor  in  our  rural  policy.     Moreover  the 


296    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

rural  church   problem   is  apparently  as  far  from  solution   as 
ever. 

8.  A  definition  of  the  relation  of  the  government  to  various 
agricultural  agencies,  institutions,  practices  and  conditions.  It 
was  strongly  emphasized  that  any  agricultural  policy  should  de- 
fine in  no  uncertain  terms  the  part  which  the  government 
should  play,  not  only  in  the  formulation  but  in  the  execution  of 
an  agricultural  policy  and  the  attitude  which  the  federal  gov- 
ernment as  well  as  state  governments  should  take  on  various 
matters.     Some  of  these  are : 

(a)  Land  sale,  settlement,  colonization  and  tenure.  In  this 
connection  few  men  failed  to  point  out  the  necessity  of  dealing 
immediately  with  the  problem  of  the  distribution  of  land  to 
returning  soldiers,  first  as  to  the  advisability  of  such  distribution, 
second  as  to  the  methods,  third  as  to  the  conditions,  fourth  as  to 
financing  settlement  and  settlers. 

(b)  With  regard  to  political  representation  in  state  and  na- 
tion. 

(c)  With  the  organization  of  farmers,  especially  for  eco- 
nomic purposes  but  also  for  social  and  political  objects. 

(d)  With  regard  to  prices,  trade  and  commercial  practices  in 
the  distribution  of  farm  products. 

(e)  With  regard  to  taxation  of  land  and  farm  equipment. 

(f)  With  regard  to  material  agricultural  encouragement, 
tariffs,  bounties,  subsidies,  loans,  and  the  like. 

(g)  With  regard  to  the  development,  utilization  and  con- 
servation of  natural  resources. 

(h)  With  regard  to  rural  education,  rural  life  and  means  of 
communication. 

9.  Agricultural  commerce  and  trade,  including  both  domestic 
and  international  trade. 

10.  Consumption  and  the  relation  of  consumers  to  the  food 
supply.  In  other  words,  it  is  advanced  that  an  agricultural 
policy  should  have  as  a  chief  consideration  the  consumers'  de- 
mand for  agricultural  foodstuffs  and  the  raw  materials  of  cloth- 
ing and  that  a  policy  should  be  developed  on  the  basis  of  a 
study  of  the  food  requirements  of  different  sections  of  the  coun- 


A  POLICY  297 

try  and  the  possibility  of  producing  these  food  requirements  most 
economically. 

On  the  following  pages  the  reviewer  has  attempted  to  classify 
the  various  items  presented  by  the  correspondents,  none  of  whom 
developed  a  comprehensive  program.  Consequently,  the  "  Ten- 
tative outline  of  an  American  Agricultural  Policy  "  inserted  be- 
low may  be  considered  to  include  the  items  just  stated  and  in 
addition  some  fields  which  the  correspondents  have  omitted  and 
which  in  the  opinion  of  the  reviewer  are  essential  in  a  compre- 
hensive agricultural  policy. 


AMERICAN    AGRICULTURAL   POLICY 
TENTATIVE   OUTLINE 

Inasmuch  as  no  one  person  is  responsible  for  the  complete  out- 
line of  an  agricultural  policy  and  since  the  problem  was  pre- 
sented in  this  correspondence  from  several  viewpoints,  I  have 
endeavored  to  classify  the  items  under  a  few  commonplace  head- 
ings. I  have  attempted  to  set  forth  as  fairly  as  possible  the  con- 
sensus of  opinion  on  the  several  items.  The  resulting  outline  is 
somewhat  detailed  and  may  seem  to  some  too  comprehensive. 
It  is  clear,  however,  that  no  matter  how  short  and  simple  may 
be  the  final  statement  of  policy,  it  will  be  necessary  first  to 
consider  the  problem  in  its  ramifications  in  order  to  balance 
conclusions  and  escape  contradictions  and  narrow  temporalities. 
At  best  the  outline  is  tentative  merely  and  will  at  least  serve  for 
purposes  of  discussion. 

I.     Fundamental  Principles 

1.  Economically,  an  agricultural  policy  should  be  approached 
from  the  point  of  view  of  maintaining  the  supply  of  food 
and  other  raw  materials  of  agriculture  for  the  nation  or 
for  the  world. 

2.  Nationally,  two  possible  policies  may  be  pursued: 

(a)  To  make  the  nation  self-sufficing  with  regard  to  food 
and  other  agricultural  raw  materials,  that  is  to  pursue 
an  agricultural  policy  which  will  maintain  the  balance 


298    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

between  agriculture  and  other  industries  within  the 
nation ; 
(b)   To  purchase  our  food  supply  in  the  lowest  market  and 
pay  for  it  with  manufactured  goods; 
The  poh'cy  chosen  should  be  determined  by  the  best 
interest  of  the  country  as  a  whole. 

3.  Individually,  the  farm  should  provide  its  workers  with  as 
good  a  living  and  as  good  an  opportunity  for  development 
and  should  open  as  many  important  avenues  of  public 
recognition  as  any  other  calling. 

4.  The  guiding  principle  should  be  to  establish  and  maintain 
such  farming  conditions  as  will  best  serve  the  interest  of 
society  as  a  whole.  Agriculture  should  receive  a  fair  re- 
ward. The  other  classes  of  society  should  not  be  com- 
pelled to  pay  too  high  a  price  for  food  and  clothing. 

5.  In  formulating  a  policy  the  sociological  aspect  should  be 
kept  always  in  view.  Life  is  primarily  spiritual,  intel- 
lectual, social  and  economic. 

II.     Production 

1.  The  basis  of  encouragement  of  agricultural  production 
should  rest  on  an  adequate  remuneration  for  the  farmer, 
based  on  the  cost  of  production  plus  a  fair  insurance  against 
seasonal  risks. 

2.  The  independence  of  the  farm  operator  should  be  insured 
either  by  giving  him  easy  opportunity  to  own  the  land  he 
operates  or  by  safeguarding  his  investment  in  improve- 
ments, encouraging  longer  tenure  and  better  farm  practice, 

and   conserving  soil   fertility  by  judicious  legislation   re- 
garding tenant  right. 

3.  Credit.  The  farmer's  credit  facilities  should  be  enlarged 
by: 

(a)  Better  facilities  for  short  time  credit  on  a  national 
basis;  (and  perhaps) 

(b)  A  system  of  banks,  specifically  agricultural,  to  deal 
with  farm  credit  requirements  as  our  present  system 
deals  chiefly  with  urban  credit  needs; 


A  POLICY  299 

(c)  Farm  and  stored  products;  the  farm  business  as  a 
going  concern  as  well  as  character,  industry  and  farm 
experience  should  be  bases  for  farm  loans. 

4.  Machinery.  The  economical  use  of  modern  farm  machin- 
ery and  appliances  should  be  encouraged  by  official  inspec- 
tion of  such  machinery,  particularly  tractors,  electrical 
appliances  and  motor-driven  implements,  so  that  farmers 
may  be  protected  in  their  purchases  and  the  waste  of  farm 
capital  invested  in  untried  machines  prevented. 

5.  Farm  labor. 

(a)  The  basic  wages,  hours,  housing  facilities  and  condi- 
tions of  employment  of  farm  laborers  should  be  stand- 
ardized as  far  as  possible; 

(b)  Provision  should  be  made  for  the  training  of  agricul- 
tural laborers; 

(c)  Laborers'  cottages,  longer  terms  of  employment,  em- 
ployment of  married  men,  yearly  contracts  and  the 
giving  of  a  bonus  or  a  material  interest  in  the  farm 
enterprise  to  the  laborer  in  addition  to  wages  should 
be  encouraged ; 

(d)  The  supply  and  seasonal  distribution  of  laborers 
should  be  perfected  through  the  establishment  of  gov- 
ernment labor  bureaus  with  local  branches. 

6.  Seed.  Measures  should  be  taken  to  encourage  the  produc- 
tion of  good  varieties  of  pure  seed,  and  to  insure  the  supply 
of  good  seed  and  the  protection  of  the  buyer  against  adul- 
terated or  impure  varieties.  Especial  attention  should  be 
given  to  procuring  legume  seed. 

7.  Live  stock.  The  plan  should  include  government  encour- 
agement and  assistance  in  live  stock  breeding,  chiefly  by 
means  of  community  enterprises. 

8.  Conservation  measures. 

(a)  Provision  for  the  supply  of  unlimited  quantities  of 
lime  for  agricultural  needs; 

(b)  The  restriction  of  exports  of  mineral  phosphates; 

(c)  A  comprehensive  plan  for  the  manufacture  of  syn- 


300    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

thetic  ammonia,  nitrates  and  other  nitrogenous  fer- 
tilizing materials ; 

(d)  Production  of  adequate  quantities  of  potash  to  pre- 
clude the  necessity  of  importing  this  material ; 

(e)  Protection  of  agricultural  land  against  erosion  and 
overflow ; 

(f)  Propaganda  regarding  the  advantages  of  tile  draining 
and  provision  for  the  necessary  supply  of  tile  where 
ncetlcJ ; 

(g)  Statement  of  a  definite  policy  regarding  the  exporta- 
tion of  our  agricultural  products,  grains,  cottonseed  oil 
cake  and  the  like  which  can  be  fed  to  live  stock  at 
home. 

9.  A  land  and  reclamation  policy. 

To  what  extent  is  it  desirable  to  encourage  increased  agri- 
cultural population,  increased  area  of  cultivated  land  and 
consequently  increased  agricultural  production  merely  to 
lower  the  prices  of  agricultural  products? 

(a)  Formulation  of  a  constructive  policy  with  regard  to 
land  settlement  and  colonization,  first  for  returning 
soldiers,  second  for  other  prospective  farmers: 

(b)  This  policy  should  definitely  determine  the  following 
points : 

(i)   The  supervising  and  directing  authority 

(aa)    Government — federal  or  state  or  both; 

(bb)    Private  real  estate  agencies; 

(cc)   Both  governmental  and  private  agencies. 
(2)    Location  of  settlement. 

(aa)  In  limited  regions,  on  hitherto  unoccupied 
tracts,  in  the  newer  states,  probably  distant  from 
settled  agriculture  and  markets; 

(bb)  Scattered  settlements  in  the  older  or  home 
states ; 

(cc)  On  reclaimed  lands  or  on  unimproved  lands 
once  in  farms.  There  are  many  very  valid  rea- 
sons why  new  settlers,  not  experienced  farmers, 


A  POLICY  301 

should  find  farm  homes  in  the  older  settled  com- 
munities. The  benefits  of  such  home  settle- 
ments accrue  both  to  the  older  community  and 
to  the  settler.  Moreover  there  are  obvious  dis- 
advantages in  new  and  untried  territories  dis- 
tant from  markets  and  the  conveniences  of  civ- 
ilization. 

(3)  Conditions  of  settlement. 

(aa)  Qualifications  of  the  settler  —  citizenship,  agri- 
cultural experience,  length  of  residence; 

(bb)  Restrictions  on  transfer  of  land  and  change  of 
residence ; 

(cc)  Material  aid  and  equipments  furnished  the  set- 
tler, for  example,  agricultural  advice,  credit, 
buildings  and  equipment,  supplies; 

(dd)    Size  of  holdings  permitted. 

Should  there  be  different  policies  in  the  different 
states  or  for  different  types  of  settlement  with 
government  protection  and  assistance  in  all  in- 
stances ? 

(ee)  Legislation  to  prevent  land  speculation,  exploita- 
tion and  attendant  evils. 

(4)  A  comprehensive  reclamation  policy  under  state  or 
federal  auspices,  including  drainage,  irrigation,  dik- 
ing, clearing  unimproved  land. 

(aa)   To  open  new  land; 

(bb)   To  provide  employment  for  prospective  settlers; 
(cc)    To   relieve   industrial   unemployment  after  the 
war. 

(5)  A  comprehensive  immigration  policy. 

10.  Control  of  diseases  and  pests,  both  of  animal  and  plants. 
The  policy  should  include  adequate  laws,  both  national 
and  state,  and  outline  provisions  for  agricultural  insur- 
ance against  weather,  disease  and  pest  conditions. 

III.     Distribution 

On  no  point  is  there  more  uniform  agreement  than  on  the 


302    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

necessity  for  a  definite  policy  with  regard  to  the  marketing  and 
distribution  of  agricultural  products.  Needless  to  say  there  is 
disagreement  on  the  details  or  even  principles  underlying  such 
a  policy.     Some  points  of  general  agreement  are  as  follows: 

1.  Much  greater  emphasis  by  investigators,  educators,  rural 
leaders  and  administrators  on  the  discovery  and  dissemina- 
tion of  facts  and  principles  of  scientific  marketing.  The 
conviction  that  distribution  problems  have  been  slighted  by 
agricultural  leaders  and  educators  is  definite  and  pro- 
nounced. 

2.  Business  organization.  Organization  of  farmers'  corpora- 
tions for  marketing  and  wholesale  handling  of  products. 

(a)  The  purposes  are  economic  handling,  preparation  for 
consumption,  grading,  standardizing,  advertising, 
eliminating  wastes,  storing,  utilizing  by-products, 
transporting,  equalizing  distribution  and  providing  re- 
quirements of  raw  materials  in  quantity  at  wholesale 
prices ; 

(b)  Collective  bargaining  by  farmers  under  adequate  pro- 
tective legislation  to  safeguard  both  farmers  and  con- 
sumers; 

(c)  Preparation,  cleaning,  packing  and  primary  manufac- 
ture of  farm  products,  especially  the  manufacture  of 
byproducts  and  culls  by  farmers'  corporations  for  the 
purpose  of  conservation  of  food,  saving  of  transporta- 
tion and  increasing  returns  to  the  farmer. 

3.  Transportation. 

(a)  Government  aid  in  the  planning  and  building  of  high- 
ways. Government  ownership  of  highways  is  sug- 
gested as  practicable  and  more  desirable  than  owner- 
ship of  railways; 

(b)  Encouragement  of  motor  truck,  freight  and  trolley 
express  for  farm  products; 

(c)  Revision  of  freight  rates  with  a  view  to  agricultural 
needs  and  economic  distribution; 

(d)  Shipment  of  partially  prepared  or  finished  products 
rather  than  raw  materials  of  agriculture.     Approval 


A  POLICY  303 

of  this  policy  would  mean  the  encouragement  of  fac- 
tories for  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  products 
much  nearer  the  points  of  consumption  than  pre-war 
conditions  of  competition  seem  to  justify. 

4.  Grades.  Establishment  of  national  grades  and  standards 
for  farm  products. 

5.  Government  control.  Control  distributing  agencies,  les- 
sen waste,  cheapen  distributing  costs  and  provide  adequate 
facilities  for  handling  food  products  either  by  government 
ownership  of  the  mechanism  of  distribution  or  by  govern- 
ment control  through  the  licensing  of  middlemen  and  reg- 
ulation of  middlemen's  prices,  charges  and  methods  or  by 
government  price  fixing. 

6.  More  stringent  regulation  to  prevent  adulteration,  mis- 
branding, etc. 

Additional  projects  advocated  by  a  minority. 

7.  Storage  and  warehouse  facilities  constructed,  operated  or 
controlled  by  government  to  restore  the  balance  of  under- 
or  over-production  of  food  or  prevent  gluts  and  shortages 
and  to  stabilize  prices. 

8.  Regulation  of  exports  of  raw  agricultural  products. 

9.  Encouragement  of  farmers'  markets  and  means  of  direct 
marketing  to  utilize  products  for  consumption  as  near  the 
source  of  supply  as  possible  and  provide  the  consumer  with 
fresh  food  materials. 

IV.     Rural  Education. 

Principle  J  to  make  available  to  farmers'  sons  and  daughters  as 
satisfactory  educational  advantages  as  are  offered  to  any  children 
in  the  country. 

1.  Federal  aid  to  rural  schools,  chiefly  because  it  is  impossible 
to  provide  adequate  educational  facilities  to  rural  children 
by  local  taxation ; 

2.  The  creation  of  adequate  rural  educational  facilities  of 
both  primary  and  secondary  grade.  Much  emphasis  is 
laid  on  the  necessity  of  providing  secondary  school  educa- 
tion for  rural  children ; 


304    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

3.  Better  teachers  with  rural  outlook  and  ideals  of  rural 
leadership  at  better  wages; 

4.  Teacherages  and  possibly  consolidated  schools  with  the 
idea  of  making  the  rural  school  teacher  a  permanent  addi- 
tion to  the  leadersiiip  of  the  rural  community ; 

5.  More  attention  to  agricultural  economics  and  rural  sociol- 
ogy in  secondary  schools  and  colleges  where  farmers  and 
rural  leaders  are  trained  ; 

6.  Expansion  of  research  facilities  in  experiment  stations  to 
include  problems  of  agricultural  economics  and  social 
studies ; 

(a)  A  revision  and  reconstruction  of  the  curricula  of  col- 
leges in  order  that  college  teaching  may  be  brought  in 
line  with  the  national  agricultural  policy  both  with  re- 
gard to  production  and  distribution.  More  especially 
much  greater  emphasis  should  be  placed  on  the  teach- 
ing of  agricultural  economics  and  rural  life  subjects 
to  all  agricultural  teachers  and  leaders  in  agriculture. 
The  American  agricultural  policy  as  such  should  be 
given  a  place  among  the  courses  offered  by  our  depart- 
ment of  agricultural  economics  and  all  college  students 
should  be  required  to  give  attention  to  the  broader 
phases  of  agriculture. 

7.  Organization  of  research  in  current  problems  as  well  as  in 
long-time  investigation ; 

8.  Schools  for  the  training  of  rural  leaders  and  managers  of 
farmers'  business  organizations. 

V.     Religious  Life. 

The  revitalization  of  the  rural  church  and  the  recognition  of 
the  rural  church  as  an  essential  factor  in  the  development  of  a 
rural  community. 

Details  as  to  the  reorganization  and  development  of  the  rural 
church  as  a  factor  in  rural  life  affairs  are  lacking.  It  is  signifi- 
cant, however,  that  there  is  wide  agreement  on  the  general  prin- 
ciple above  stated. 


A  POLICY  305 

VI.  Health  and  Sanitation. 

In  matters  of  health  and  sanitation  our  urban  communities 
have  long  worked  on  a  definite  policy  looking  to  the  protection 
of  public  and  private  health.  The  state  departments  of  health 
have  thus  far  concerned  themselves  almost  wholly  with  the  wel- 
fare of  cities.  No  policy  or  program  especially  applicable  to  the 
rural  districts  has  been  adopted.  As  a  result  of  this  negligence, 
it  has  come  to  be  true  that  preventable  diseases  are  largely  rural 
diseases.  Rural  districts  should  be  the  most  healthful  in  the 
country.  The  national  Public  Health  Service  should  establish 
forthwith  a  rural  health  bureau,  and  each  state,  if  not  each 
county,  should  have  a  similar  bureau,  with  physicians,  sanita- 
rians and  nurses  in  connection  therewith. 

VII.  Country  Life. 

After  all  the  spiritual  and  social  side  of  rural  life  is  the  im- 
portant side.  Opportunity  for  better  living,  leisure  for  appre- 
ciation, wholesome  recreation,  community  activities,  social  and 
intellectual,  must  be  contemplated  by  makers  of  an  agricultural 
policy.  We  should  aim  to  create  a  proper  appreciation  of  agri- 
culture as  a  business  not  only  among  those  who  are  not  engaged 
in  it  but  among  those  who  are  engaged  in  it.  Agricultural 
problems  are  not  different  from  other  problems  except  as  made 
so  by  the  isolation  of  the  people. 

VIII.  Government  Relations. 

It  is  very  essential  in  any  agricultural  policy  that  the  relation 
of  the  government  to  various  phases  of  agricultural  and  agri- 
cultural activities  should  be  definitely  stated.  In  general  the 
definition  of  government  relationships  should  be  crystallized  in 
law.  But  it  is  clear  that  no  agricultural  policy  can  proceed 
very  far  without  taking  into  consideration  the  attitude  of  the 
government  toward  the  various  items  in  the  program.  A  num- 
ber of  these  governmental  relationships,  perhaps  all  of  them, 
have  been  indicated  in  the  outline.  They  are  grouped  together 
under  this  heading  in  order  that  they  may  be  viewed  as  a  whole. 
The  relationship  of  the  government  to  agriculture  and  to 
farmers  should  be  clear  with  rctiard  to: 


3o6    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

(a)  Political  representation  of  agriculture  in  the  state  and 
nation ; 

(b)  Corporations  of  farmers  for  collective  bargaining  and 
for  other  economic  purposes ; 

(c)  Control  of  prices  of  agricultural  products,  trade  and 
commercial  practices  in  distribution; 

(d)  Land,  land  settlement,  immigration  and  the  financing 
of  the  farm  enterprise; 

(e)  Taxation  of  land  and  farm  equipment; 

(f)  The  unearned  increment  in  land; 

(g)  The  development,  utilization  and  conservation  of  soil 
and  other  natural  agricultural  resources,  fertilizing 
materials. 

(h)  Exportation  of  raw  agricultural  products,  especially 
those  suitable  for  the  feeding  of  live  stock ; 

(i)  Material  agricultural  encouragement,  tarifis,  bounties, 
subsidies,  agricultural  advice  and  assistance,  loans,  etc. 

(j)  The  ownership  and  control  of  means  of  transporta- 
tion and  distribution,  including  highways,  railways, 
storage  facilities,  manufactories  of  agricultural  prod- 
ucts and  other  distributing  agencies  and  institutions; 

(k)  Rural  education  and  agricultural  education,  both  for 
children  and  for  adults; 

(1)    Rural  health  and  sanitation; 

(m)    Means  of  rural  communication; 

(n)    Rural  policing; 

(o)  Government  employment  agencies  for  employing  agri- 
cultural labor; 

(p)  Agricultural  trade  and  commerce,  foreign  and  domes- 
tic ; 

(q)   Agricultural  credit. 

IX.      The    Co(Jrdi?wtion    of    the    Economic,    Educational   and 
Administrative  Forces  in  Agriculture. 
Some  definite  steps  should  be  taken  to  coordinate 
I.  The  agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations,  extension 
services  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 


A  POLICY  307 

under  one  bureau  or  department  in  order  that  there  may 
be  perfect  understanding  and  collaboration  in  education 
and  research  work,  that  friction  may  be  avoided  and  dupli- 
cation of  work  eliminated. 

2.  Coordination  between  county,  state  and  national  author- 
ities in  agricultural  affairs  is  necessary  and  should  be  a  part 

of  an  agricultural  policy. 

3.  The  organization  of  farmers'  organizations,  both  business 
and  social,  agricultural  leaders,  educators  and  others  inter- 
ested in  country  life  into  a  national  chamber  or  council  of 
agriculture  under  a  rational,  systematic  and  practicable 
plan  is  certainly  a  part  of  any  agricultural  policy. 

IV.    HOW  CAN   SUCH    A   POLICY   BEST   BE   FORMULATED   AND   ALL 
AGRICULTURAL   AGENCIES   RALLIED   FOR   ITS    EXECUTION? 

Thoughtful  men  are  by  no  means  agreed  on  the  authority  for 
formulating  a  program  and  perhaps  more  disagreed  on  the  exe- 
cution of  it.  Aside  from  representative  farmers  and  stockmen 
at  least  20  groups  of  men  were  suggested  as  having  a  part  indi- 
vidually or  collectively  in  the  formulation  of  a  program.  Ten 
of  these  represent  publicly  supported  agricultural  agencies,  edu- 
cational or  administrative  in  character.  Two  are  associations 
of  agricultural  economists.  Five  are  great  farmers'  organiza- 
tions or  federations  of  farmers'  associations.  The  others  repre- 
sent the  rural  and  agricultural  press,  the  banks  and  legislative 
bodies,  state  and  federal. 

I.  In  general  one  may  distinguish  four  groups:  first,  those 
who  would  assign  the  formulation  of  a  policy  to  the  state  agri- 
cultural (educational)  agencies  and  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  generally  in  cooperation  with  the  state 
commissioners  of  agriculture.  Due  perhaps  to  the  source  of  the 
replies  there  is  very  general  agreement  that  representatives  of  the 
agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  should  assume  the  responsibility  in 
whole  or  large  part  for  the  fornuilatinn  of  an  agricultural  policy. 
It  is  intertNting  that  comp,'irati\  ei\  few  deans,  directors  or  pres- 
idents of  agricultural  colleges  or  stations  have  suggested  farmers 


3o8     THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

or  farmers'  organizations  in  connection  with  the  formulation  of 
a  program.  None  of  them  gave  any  place  to  consumers  or 
trade  organizations  interested  in  agricultural  products. 

2.  Those  who  approve  an  independent  commission,  appointed 
by  the  President  or  by  Congress,  at  least  having  federal  author- 
ity, composed  of  agricultural  leaders.  There  is  no  general 
agreement  on  the  constitution  of  this  commission.  Various  sug- 
gestions are  offered : 

a.  That  it  should  represent  all  sections  of  the  country  and 

all  phases  of  the  subject. 

b.  That  leaders  in  education,  journalism,  politics,  medicine 
and  law,  together  with  leaders  within  the  agricultural 
colleges,  should  compose  it. 

c.  That  it  should  be  composed  of  both  men  and  women. 

3.  Some  voluntary  conference  committee  or  group  of  which 
farmers,  representatives  of  farmers'  organizations  and  econo- 
mists should  form  a  prominent  part.  A  few  men  would  have 
farmers  or  farmers*  organizations  formulate  and  carry  through 
the  program.  Others  would  submit  a  plan  formulated  by  some 
agricultural  group  to  the  farmers  for  discussion  and  acceptance. 
At  least  two  men  suggest  that  the  American  Association  for 
Agricultural  Legislation  is  the  proper  body  to  draw  up  the 
policy  for  submission  to  the  agricultural  interests. 

4.  A  conference  or  regional  conferences,  made  up  of  groups 
one  and  three,  for  discussion  and  formulation,  the  policy  to  be 
put  in  operation  by  various  educational  and  administrative  pub- 
licly supported  agencies  and  by  executive  action  following  legis- 
lation. A  conference  of  this  sort,  while  perhaps  not  definite  in 
constitution,  is  the  answer  to  those  who  feel  that  an  agricultural 
policy  should  be  formulated  by  a  large  number  of  agricultural 
interests.  It  is  probable  that  any  conference  thoroughly  repre- 
sentative of  agriculture  and  agricultural  leaders  would  be  sat- 
isfactory. Differences  in  the  agricultural  problems  of  different 
regions  account  for  the  proposal  of  regional  conferences. 

Note:  The  American  Agricultural  Policy  Conference 
Group  which  follows  is  presented  by  the  reviewer  as  sugges- 
tive merely.     None  of  the  correspondents  have  suggested  all  of 


A  POLICY  309 

the  agencies  listed  in  this  group.  Many  of  them  suggested  a 
number  of  agencies  and  of  course  many  of  the  suggestions  are 
vague.  This  group  not  only  includes  the  publicly  supported 
agricultural  agencies  and  farmers'  organizations,  but  econo- 
mists, associations  of  farm  women,  trade  organizations  and  rural 
sociologists.  The  agricultural  press  and  other  groups  mani- 
festly have  an  interest  in  the  formulation  of  an  agricultural 
policy. 

CONFERENCE   GROUP 

An  ideal  conference  would  include  all  groups  considered  in 
the  preceding  report  and  certain  others  which  have  not  been 
suggested.  For  example,  although  none  have  mentioned  con- 
sumers' organizations  or  consumers,  it  is  evident  that  to  con- 
sumers America's  agricultural  policy  would  be  a  matter  of  vast 
importance.  Many  items  in  the  agricultural  program  here  pre- 
sented are  intimately  related  to  the  transportation  agencies,  stor- 
age corporations,  manufacturers  of  agricultural  products  and 
agricultural  requirements  as  well  as  to  distributors  of  foods. 

The  following  tentative  list  attempts  to  include  the  more  im- 
portant interested  groups: 

I.  Publicly   supported  agricultural  agencies,  educational  and 
administrative 

a.  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 

b.  United  States  Food  Administration 

c.  Agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations  and  extension 
divisions  —  represented  in  the  American  Association  of 
Agricultural  Colleges 

d.  State  commissions  of  agriculture 

e.  Association  of  State  Marketing  Officials. 

II.  Associations  of  Economists 

a.  American  Association  of  Agricultural  Economists 

b.  American  Association  for  Agricultural  Legislation 

c.  American  Farm  Management  Association. 

III.  Farmers'  Organizations 

a.  American  Society  of  Equity 


3IO    THE  FARMER  AND  THE  NEW  DAY 

b.  Farmers'  Cooperative  and  Educational  Union 

c.  National  Farmers'  Congress 

d.  National  Federation  of  Milk  Producers 

(a,  b,  c,  and  d  are  represented  in  the  National  Board  of 
Farm  Organizations.) 

e.  Grange 

f.  National  Live  Stock  Association 

g.  National  Council  of  Farmers'  Cooperative  Associations 
(grain  growers) 

h.  Right  Relationship  League. 

IV.  Farm  Women's  Organizations 

a.  International  Congress  of  Farm  Women 

b.  National  Farm  and  Garden  Association 

c.  Women's  Land  Army  of  America. 

V.  Trade  Associations 

a.  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  U.  S.  A. 

b.  National  League  of  Commission  Merchants 

c.  Meat  Packers'  Association 

d.  National  Poultry,  Butter  and  Egg  Association 

e.  Grain  Dealers'  National  Association 

f.  National  Association  of  Cotton  Manufacturers 

g.  National  Retail  Grocers'  Association 
h.  National  Hay  Association. 

VI.  Voluntary  Organizations  or  Groups  Concerned  with  the 
Agricultural  Policy 

a.  Agricultural  Policy  Group 

b.  U.  S.  D.  A.  Agricultural  Mission 

c.  Committee  of  Twenty-Four  —  Advisory  Council, 

VII.  Consumers'  Organizations 

a.  Cooperative  League  of  America 

b.  Consumers'  League 

c.  Housewives'  League 

d.  American  Federation  of  Labor. 


A  POLICY  311 

VIII.  Allied  Organizations 

a.  Russell  Sage  Foundation 

b.  Carnegie  Institution 

c.  Rockefeller  Institute 

d.  American  Bankers'  Association. 

IX.  Individual    Representative    Agricultural    Leaders    and 
Farmers. 


THE  END 


PBTNTBD   IN    THB    tTNITBD    STATES    01*    AMERICA 


npHE  following  pages  contain  advertisements  of  a  few 
of  the  Macmillan  books  on  kindred  subjects. 


NEIV  FARM  AND  GARDEN  BOOKS 

The  Nursery  Manual 

By  L.  H.  bailey 
With  Illustrations 

Cloth,  i2mo.,  Preparing. 

Professor  Bailey's  Nursery  Book  is  the  foundation  of  this  volume, 
though  the  original  has  been  entirely  re-written  and  re-illustrated 
and  appears  now  in  The  Rural  Manual  Series. 

The  book  may  be  described  as  a  complete  guide  to  the  multipli- 
cation of  plants,  aiming  to  give  an  account  of  the  methods  commonly 
employed  in  the  propagation  and  crossing  of  plants. 

The  handling  and  sowing  of  seeds  and  spores,  separation  and 
division,  layerage,  the  general  requirements  of  cuttings  and  the 
various  kinds,  grafting,  budding,  nursery  management  —  these  are 
some  of  the  topics  taken  up. 

The  illustrations  are  all  from  new  drawings  and  photographs. 

Manual  of  American  Grape 
Growing 

By  U.  p.  HEDRICK 

Horticulturist  of  the  State  Experiment  Station,  Geneva,  N.  Y. 
With  Illustrations 

Cloth,  12'' ,  Preparing. 

This  is  written  as  a  complete  popular  treatise  on  grape-growing 
in  North  America.  It  discusses  the  practical  questions  of  climatic 
limitations,  choice  of  site,  land  and  its  preparation,  fertilizing, 
tillage,  planting,  pruning  and  training,  and  marketing.  It  also  has 
concise  treatment  of  the  diseases  and  the  insects  injurious  to  the 
grape.  Special  attention  is  given  to  descriptions  of  the  leading 
commercial  and  amateur  varieties.  Part  of  the  book  is  devoted  to 
the  vinifera  grape  as  grown  in  California. 

Professor  Hedrick  has  had  long  experience  in  the  study  of  the 
grape  in  all  its  aspects,  and  the  book  will  be  found  to  be  a  useful, 
up-to-date  manual  of  propagation,  manipulation,  and  the  handling  of 
the  crop.  It  is  well  illustrated  by  full-page  olates  and  also  by  en- 
gravings in  the  text. 

THE  MACMTLLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers     64-66  Fifth  Avenue     New  York 


NEW  FARM  AND  GARDEN  BOOKS 

The  Sugar-Beet  in  America 

By  F.  S.  HARRIS 
Director  of  the  Utah  Experiment  Station 

Illustrated,  /<?',  $2.23 

Here  is  a  thorough  and  practical  guide  book  for  farmers 
who  are  raising  sugar-beets,  for  agriculturists  in  sugar  com- 
panies, and  for  students  of  the  sugar-beet  in  agricultural 
colleges. 

Dr.  Harris  has  assembled  here  all  the  important  facts  and 
details  regarding  the  raising  and  cultivation  of  the  sugar- 
beet.  There  is  also  an  account  of  the  processes  involved  in 
the  manufacturing  of  sugar  from  the  beet,  and  a  discussion 
of  the  sugar-beet's  commercial  rival,  cane  sugar. 

A  special  feature  of  the  book  is  the  large  number  of 
illustrations  —  over  32  plates,  with  maps,  diagrams  and 
charts  —  clarifying  the  text  and  adding  much  to  the  practical 
value  of  the  book. 

Peach-Growing 

By  H.  p.  GOULD 

Pomologist  in  Charge  of  Fruit  Production  Investigations 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Department 

of  Agriculture 

Illustrated,  12° ,  $2.00 

Here  is  a  book  which  covers  the  general  field  of  growing 
peaches  and  placing  them  within  reach  of  the  consumer. 

It  is  practical.  It  is  detailed.  It  is  a  handbook  for  peach- 
growers  of  North  and  East,  as  well  as  South  and  West. 

Peach  literature  has  been  notably  limited,  except  for  ex- 
periment station  bulletins  and  reports.  This  book  gathers 
into  one  compact,  fully  illustrated  volume  the  principles  and 
practice  of  successful  peach  production. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers     64-66  Fifth  Avenue     New  York 


TWO  STANDARD  CYCLOPEDIAS 

Cyclopedia  of  American 
Agriculture 

Edited  by  L.  H.  BAILEY 

With  100  full-page  plates  and  more  than  2,000  illustrations  in  the 
text;  four  volumes;  the  set,  $20.00 

Vol.     I— Farms         Vol.  Ill— Animals 

Vol.  II — Crops  Vol.  IV — The  Farm  and  the  Community 

This  is  unquestionably  the  most  important  agricultural  cyclopedic 
work  published  in  this  country.  The  leading  experts  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  both  investigators  and  practical  farmers,  con- 
tribute to  its  chapters,  which  are  arranged  not  alphabetically,  but 
topically,  each  subject  being  treated  in  its  various  aspects  by  men 
especially  familiar  with  it. 

"  Indispensable  to  public  and  reference  libraries  .  .  .  readily  com- 
prehensible to  any  person  of  average  education." —  The  Nation. 

"  The  completest  existing  thesaurus  of  up-to-date  facts  and 
opinions  on  modern  agricultural  methods.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  many 
years  must  pass  before  it  can  be  surpassed  in  comprehensiveness, 
accuracy,  practical  value,  and  mechanical  excellence.  It  ought  to  be 
in  every  library  in  the  country." — Record-Herald,  Chicago. 

The  Standard  Cyclopedia 
of  Horticulture 

Edited  by  L.  H.  BAILEY 

With  the  Assistance  of  over  500  Collaborators 

Now  complete  in  6  vols. 

Set,  cloth.  $36.00 

"  No  one  who  knows  anything  at  all  about  the  literature  of  gar- 
dening needs  to  be  told  that  the  Cyclopedia  is  unique.  It  is  the 
Bible  and  Britannica  of  the  garden-folk,  amateur  and  professional 
alike.  And  the  remarkable  thing  is  that  while  it  is  fundamentally  a 
work  of  reference,  it  also  contains  limitless  quantities  of  good  read- 
ing of  the  sort  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  garden  enthusiast." —  The 
Nation. 

"  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  state  that  Bailey's  new  work  is  the  best 
Cyclopedia  obtainable  for  all  who  are  connected,  either  remotely  or 
intimately,  as  amateurs  or  professionals,  with  horticultural  pursuits." 
—  The  Florists'  Reziezc. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers      64-66  Fifth  Avenue      New  York 


Co-Operation 

The  Hope  of  the  Consumer 

By  EMKRSUX  i'.  HARRIS 
President  of  the  Montclair  Co-operative  Society 

With  an  Introduction  by  John  Graham  Brooks 

Cloth,   12° ,  $2.00 

This  new  book  meets  the  problems  of  merchandising  in 
an  original,  sane  and  suggestive  way,  and  gives  an  approach 
to  the  subject  of  co-operation  which  is  of  far  more  than 
academic  value.  Mr.  Harris  through  his  close  association 
with  the  co-operative  movement,  has  come  into  frequent 
contact  with  the  actual  working  of  the  plan,  and  has  em- 
bodied in  this  volume  a  treatment  of  the  subject  that  is 
notably  fresh  and  practical. 

"  The  volume  is  splendid,"  he  writes,  "  really  splendid. 
I  do  not  know  of  any  Socialist  literature  that  so  convincingly 
shows  up  the  disorder  of  capitalist  distribution  as  this  one. 
To  my  mind  it  is  the  first  book  of  the  coming  literature  on 
the  great  co-operative  movement  of  the  future.  It  is  going 
to  make  American  co-operators  by  the  thousands,  perhaps 
by  the  hundreds  of  thousands." 

—  Mr.  Albert  Sonnichsen,  well  known  author. 

"  Frank  and  sincere  and  open  hearted.  .  .  .  The  author 
is  full  of  his  subject  and  writes  from  a  brimming  reservoir 
of  facts.  .  .  .  His  earnestness  and  devotion  are  manifest  in 
all  the  twenty-four  chapters  of  this  interesting  and  sugges- 
tive treatise.  .  .  . 

A  carefully  written  and  useful  book.  It  should  have  a 
wide  circulation  and  reading." 

—  The  Evening  Sun. 


THE  MACMILLAX  COMPANY 

Publishers      64-66  Fifth  Avenue      New  York 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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